Bjorn Nielsen

Speciality: Microbiology
Location: Wakefield, UK

Bjorn is Principal Scientist, Microbiology for ALS UK.  He is a Chartered Biologist and member of the Royal Society of Biology and the Microbiology Society, and is a degree qualified microbiologist with over seventeen years of experience in water and food testing.

He is vice chair of the British Standards EH/3/4 - Microbiological Methods committee and a member of the Standing Committee of Analysts – Microbiological Methods working group. He has represented the UK as an active contributor to ISO standards development (including standards for Legionella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, coliforms and Legionella PCR) and is the convenor of an ISO working group for re-drafting water microbiology standards. 

Professor Clive Thompson, PhD

Speciality: Analytical Chemistry
Location: Rotherham, UK

Clive is Chief Scientist at ALS in Rotherham and a Royal Academy of Engineering appointed Visiting Professor at East London University. Clive is a well-known expert in the Environmental and Water testing industry in the UK having spent a considerable amount of his time over the last 40 years providing solutions to clients’ analytical challenges.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry; Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management; Fellow of the Institute of Food Science & Technology; Fellow of the Royal Institute of Public Health; Fellow of the Water Management Society; Member of the Microbiology Society; Member of the Board of Trustees of the SCI, and a Board Member of the Fondation de la Maison de la Chemie.

He has published over 55 peer-reviewed papers on a wide range of topics mainly relating to analysis as well as co-editing a number of books and has a very wide range of contacts relating to food and environmental analysis. He serves on a number of BSI/ISO/CEN committees relating to Water Quality; Soil Quality; Sludge Quality; Environmental Characterisation and Nanomaterials.

David Evans

Speciality: Drinking Water Organics Analysis
Location: Wakefield, UK

David is the principal scientist at ALS in Wakefield. With over 25 years’ experience of working within the Drinking Water trace organic analysis industry, David has been at the forefront of introducing new analytical techniques such as LC-triple quadrupole and LC-quadrupole time of flight. David is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Standing Committee of Analysts (SCA) Organics and Stability Groups.

Geraint Williams

Speciality: Investigation and assessment of land contamination
Location: Hawarden, UK

Geraint is an Associate at the ALS laboratory in Hawarden. He has over 20 years’ experience advising on a wide range of UK projects involving the investigation and assessment of sites under planning and Part 2A. He has previously worked across a range of disciplines including human health, controlled waters and ground gas risk assessment as well as assessing risk from vapour intrusion. He was a technical expert in UNEP’s environmental assessment of Ogoniland, Nigeria and has advised on similar projects in Eastern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and South Africa. Geraint has a key interest in promoting best practice and serves on the Executive Committee of the Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment (SoBRA), the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS) and is a committee member of the Standards and Groundwater Vapour Risk Assessment subgroups.

Any questions related to the investigation of land contamination including advice on sampling and analytical strategies should be directed to Geraint.

John Quick, BSc (Hons)

Speciality: Organic Chemistry
Location: Coventry, UK

John is the principal scientist at ALS Coventry. John’s background is in chromatography and over the last years John and his team has developed methods to analyse all the compounds included in the CIP program (A UK version of the Water Framework Directive) with detection levels not seen by any other commercial laboratory in the past. Questions concerning organic compounds and testing using chromatographic methods can be directed to John.

Leonard McComb

Speciality: Drinking Water Chemistry
Location: Wakefield, UK
Leonard is the Inorganic Chemistry Manager at ALS Wakefield. He has 17 years’ experience of waters analysis having spent a varying amount of time either carrying out analysis or managing teams that do drinking water Organic, Inorganic and Microbiological testing. 

Matthew Field

Speciality: Microbiology & Biology
Location: Coventry, UK

Matt is the Microbiology and Cryptosporidium Operations Manager at ALS in Coventry. Matt is a graduate of biological science, a Chartered Microbiologist and member of the Royal Society of Biology. Since joining the company in 1998 Matt has acquired over nineteen years of laboratory experience, including fifteen years as Team Leader in both the Potable Water and Legionella departments. Matt has been instrumental in many key business projects, including the UKAS and DWTS accreditation of ALS Wakefield in 2010, the acquisition of ALcontrol in 2017, and the recent expansion and renovation of the existing laboratories in Coventry.

Pervinder Johal

Speciality: Microbiology & Virology
Location: Coventry, UK

Pervinder has a Master’s degree in Biotechnology and an Honours degree in Applied Biology, he is also a Chartered Microbiologist, member of the Royal Society of Biology and member of the Standing Committee of Analysts (SCA). Pervinder has worked at ALS for over 25 years and is widely recognised as an expert in Microbiology. Pervinder has been involved in the consultation and writing of several Blue Book methods and was instrumental in ALS becoming the first UK laboratory to UKAS and DWTS accredit MALDI-ToF confirmations.