Advancing ICP and Developing the Burgener Nebulizer: A Winter Conference Interview with John Burgener, Part 1

At the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, Spectroscopy magazine sat down with John Burgener of Burgener Research Inc. to discuss his career working with mass spectrometers, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), and developing the Burgener nebulizer.

John Burgener is the owner and founder of Burgener Research Inc., a company he founded in 1995 (1). The company’s beginnings originated from Technical Service Laboratories, which was founded by his father John E. Burgener. At the age of 15, Burgener began to assist his father in his business by building mass spectrometers designed for sorting metals by looking at the spectrum of the sample and standard simultaneously. His experience with instrumentation led to him landing several jobs with the University of Toronto, where he had the opportunity to repair instruments and conduct some geophysicist work, before working for his father again by setting up laboratories for geochemical analysis (2).

Burgener was one of the Heritage Lecture speakers at the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, where he talked about his extensive career and how he came to make the Burgener nebulizer, which is what his current company is well-known for (1).

In Part 1 of our conversation with Burgener, he answers the following questions:

• Can you briefly recap the origins of Burgener Research for our audience whom may not been able to attend your talk? (00:16–02:14)
• Can you talk about your experience working with inductively coupled plasma (ICP) in your career? What were the benefits and challenges of using the technique at the time you conducted your work? (02:15–05:11)

References

1. Burgener, J. Burgener, J. How Helping My Father Repair and Build Spectrometers Led to ICP Advancements and the Development of the Burgener Nebulizer. Presented at the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, in Tucson, Arizona, on January 15th, 2024.
2. Burgener, J. History of John Burgener With an Emphasis on Burgener Research and Burgener Nebulizers. Burgener Research Inc. https://www.burgenerresearch.com/JohnBHistory.html (Accessed January 15, 2024)