Jean-Michel Mermet is Research Director at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). In 1985, he was appointed Director of the Laboratory of Analytical Sciences at the University of Lyon. His research interests have been focused on spectrochemistry of plasmas and lasers from fundamental, analytical and instrumental aspects. He has published more than 200 papers, reviews and book chapters.

Matthias Otto is Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg in Germany. He was born in Dresden (Germany) and did all his studies at the University of Leipzig. In 1984 he moved to Freiberg (Germany) as a reader and was appointed full Professor there in 1987. Since that time he has taught almost all aspects of Analytical Chemistry mainly within the curricula of chemistry, applied sciences and geoecology and organizes courses in basic and advanced chemometrics.

Miguel Valcarcel is Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of C��ba (Spain) since 1976, member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences and currently chairman of the Analytical Division of the Federation of European Chemical Societies (DAC-FECS). He is author or co-author of 630 research papers and six monographs in the frame of automation, simplification and quality of (bio)chemical measurement processes.