Best of the Week: Where is Raman Heading and More Highlights from SciX 2026

The 2026 SciX Conference has concluded, and there were several important technical sessions that took place throughout the entire week. We’ll recap a few of our favorites. Also, one interview we conducted at the conference revolved around nanoparticle tagging. We’ll share a few insights from that conversation here.

This is the Best of the Week.

First up, the “New Challenges in Chemometrics” session questioned long-held assumptions about modeling spectroscopic data. John Kalivas showed that selecting calibration samples visually in virtual reality could outperform autonomous local regression on near-infrared (NIR) data and run faster.¹ Neal Gallagher found that the generalized spectral angle mapper performed best for detecting targets in partially filled image pixels, while Thomas Mayerhöfer reported that complex-valued regression lowered prediction errors for infrared and Raman spectra.¹ The common goal is to build models that are more accurate and interpretable.

Next, we sat down with Alessandro De Giacomo of the University of Bari Aldo Moro. He argued that laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) researchers understand the plasma well, but know far less about the laser–matter interaction and material ejection that start the process.² On nanoparticle tagging, he noted that larger particles offer more emitters and greater sensitivity, but can interfere with small targets like exosomes and become impractical in multiplexed analyses.² Choosing a tag, he said, means balancing sensitivity against target size and tag count.²

Spectroscopy moved beyond the bench. Among the FACSS Innovation Award finalists, De Giacomo flew a calibration-free LIBS sensor on a drone to analyze volcanic ash.³ Kalivas presented a haptic virtual reality system that let blind students classify mid-infrared (MIR) spectra through touch and sound.³ Dabin Kim of NIST tracked molecular alignment in shape memory polymers, and Salah Oudjertli described a nanotransducer that combined plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy with ultrasound to break up protein fibrils linked to Parkinson’s disease.³

Finally, the week as a whole showed Raman, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and LIBS pushing toward clinical, environmental, and field use. The big takeaway? Sensitivity is no longer the bottleneck. Robustness to real-world samples, interpretability, and regulatory trust are.⁴

And that’ll do it for Best of the Week. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week.

References

1. Workman, J., Jr. Trust the Algorithm or the Analyst? SciX 2026 Chemometrics Session Challenges Old Assumptions. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/trust-the-algorithm-or-the-analyst-scix-2026-chemometrics-session-challenges-old-assumptions (accessed October 14, 2026).
2. De Giacomo, A.; Workman, J., Jr.; Wetzel, W. Beyond the Plasma: Alessandro De Giacomo on Laser–Matter Interaction and Nanoparticle Tagging. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/beyond-the-plasma-alessandro-de-giacomo-on-laser-matter-interaction-and-nanoparticle-tagging (accessed October 14, 2026).
3. Workman, J., Jr. Drones, Haptic Gloves, and Sound-Driven Nanomachines: Is Spectroscopy Outgrowing the Laboratory? Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/drones-haptic-gloves-and-sound-driven-nanomachines-is-spectroscopy-outgrowing-the-laboratory- (accessed October 14, 2026).
4. Workman, J., Jr. SciX 2026 in Sparks: Raman Moves Toward the Clinic, Chemometrics Revisits Its Foundations. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/scix-2026-in-sparks-raman-moves-toward-the-clinic-chemometrics-revisits-its-foundations (accessed October 14, 2026).