Craig Butt, PhD

Craig puts over 20 years of mass spectrometry experience to work developing groundbreaking MS methods for the environmental chemistry and toxicology of PFAS and persistent organic contaminants.

While at SCIEX, Craig has focused on developing methods for analysis of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in environmental matrices such as water, soil and serum using both nominal and high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry. In addition, he has developed targeted methods for cannabis, non-targeted screening of pesticides in fruits and vegetables, and the qualitative profiling of natural products. He obtained his PhD in environmental chemistry at the University of Toronto where his thesis research investigated the fate of PFAS in biological systems. He was an NSERC post-doctoral research fellow in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, later becoming a research scientist in the department. His research at Duke investigated the impact of halogenated organic contaminants, phosphate-based flame retardant (PFR) and PFAS exposure.

“PFAS exposure is complex and still not completely understood. Ultimately, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is a very accurate analysis technique that helps improve confidence in what is being detected. It allows for an extra level of selectivity and specificity so analysts can detect much lower levels of PFAS.”

Craig Butt