Previewing Pathways in Spectroscopy: Starting A Spectroscopy Business

“Pathways in Spectroscopy” is a short-form video series that spotlights some of the career paths spectroscopists can take. Our focus on professional development in the spectroscopy field covers a wide range of topics such as navigating transitions between academia and industry, building technical and soft skills, identifying career advancement opportunities, and understanding emerging trends in analytical instrumentation and applications.¹

In January, we launched the series with a short feature on Sarah Theiner, a Sales Manager at Nu Instruments who was Spectroscopy magazine’s 2026 Emerging Leader in Atomic Spectroscopy award recipient.¹ Theiner discussed what her career transition from research to sales was like, and how her experience at the University of Vienna prepared her for the rigors of her new role at Nu Instruments.¹

This month, we shift gears and cover what it means to start a spectroscopy business. In an upcoming two-part “Pathways in Spectroscopy” series this month, we sit down with Mercedes Bertotto, who is the Founder of Vibralytics, to talk about the soft skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and the challenges in turning spectroscopic know-how into a viable commercial offering.

Vibralytics is a start-up company based in The Netherlands that delivers advanced vibrational spectroscopy and chemometrics solutions, offering data analysis, model development, and training across industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and oil.² Distinguished by personalized, hands-on service, Vibralytics provides customized training and workshops that empower clients at all levels while ensuring high-accuracy analytical results.²

Bertotto holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and a master’s degree in food science and technology from the University of Buenos Aires, where her doctoral thesis earned a perfect score. Her expertise centers on applying machine learning (ML), chemometrics, and exploratory data analysis to complex food and agricultural data sets.³ She began her career at Argentina’s National Reference Laboratory (SENASA), leading near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS)-based residue analysis programs.³ At Wageningen University & Research, she has contributed to 15 projects, optimizing ~150 hyperspectral and NIR models.³

We are looking forward to sharing with you our two-part conversation with Dr. Bertotto soon, as her insights into the world of business will provide spectroscopists with the necessary practical advice to start ventures of their own.

References

1. Wetzel, W. Pathways in Spectroscopy, Episode 1: Sarah Theiner on Transitioning from Research to Sales. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/pathways-in-spectroscopy-episode-1-sarah-theiner-on-transitioning-from-research-to-sales (accessed 2026-02-06).
2. Vibralytics, Homepage. Vibralytics. Available at: https://www.vibralytics.nl/ (accessed 2026-02-06).
3. LinkedIn, Mercedes Bertotto. LinkedIn. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercedes-bertotto-41421019/ (accessed 2026-02-06).