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DoctorEstrella Sanz Rodriguez

Senior Research Fellow - Analytical Chemistry (Natural Products)

Chemistry

Orcid identifier0000-0003-3443-6382 (opens in a new tab)⁠
  • Senior Research Fellow - Analytical Chemistry (Natural Products)
    Chemistry
  • +61 3 6226 1074 (Work)
  • School of Natural Sciences, Chemistry, 407 Chemistry Building, Sandy Bay Campus, TAS

RESEARCH SUMMARy

Expertise

Dr Estrella Sanz Rodríguez is an analytical chemist with 30 years of experience in the development and application of chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques. Her expertise covers gas chromatography (GC–MS), liquid chromatography (LC–MS), and ion chromatography (IC–MS), applied across environmental, biological, and industrial systems.

She has extensive experience in full analytical workflows, including sample preparation (solid–liquid extraction, liquid–liquid extraction, and digestion), gas and dliquid chromatographic separations (reverse phase, normal phase, HILIC, and ion chromatography), and detection using conductivity, fluorescence, UV–Vis absorbance, and mass spectrometry. Her mass spectrometry expertise includes EI, ESI, and ICP ionisation sources, and a wide range of analyzers including single quadrupole, ion trap, triple quadrupole, QTOF, and Orbitrap high resolution systems.

She has contributed to method development, analytical innovation, and capability building across multiple collaborative projects with academia and industry. Her work spans diverse sample types including natural products, environmental matrices, and industrial materials, covering compounds such as dyes, essential oils, resins, proteins, inorganic and organic ions, disinfection by-products, biomass burning markers, PFAS, xylooligosaccharides, and wood extractives.

She has extensive experience in the development of standard operating procedures, instrument maintenance protocols, and troubleshooting strategies for advanced analytical instrumentation.

She has also supervised and trained postgraduate students and early career researchers in chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques.

Her research sits at the intersection of environmental/natural products analysis, advanced hyphenated techniques, and real world applications, addressing complex chemical problems across environmental, biological, and industrial systems.

Within HyTECH, she develops LC–MS methods for targeted and untargeted analysis of inorganic and organic tracers in Antarctic ice cores to support reconstruction of past atmospheric composition and climate variability. She also develops analytical approaches for biomass burning markers in aerosols, sediments, and ice cores.

In parallel, she works on biomass compositional analysis and the chemical characterisation of biomass derived compounds supporting applications in sustainable materials, nutraceuticals, and industrial chemistry.

 

Collaborations:
Insitute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS)-UTAS
School of Architecture and Design-Centre for Sustainable Arquitecture with Wood (CSAW)-UTAS
School of Engineering- UTAS
Monash University
Deakin University
University of Queensland
UNSW Sydney
Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC)
Australian Antartic Division
Norske Skog Boyer
SYNRIX
NIWA
Core Group
Timber Veneer Asociation
Britton Timbers
Weathertex

Awards
2020 Vice-Chancellor's Innovation Award as a member of AsTech Training Centre for Portable Analytical Separation Technologies Team.

Fields of Research:
Separation science (340109)
Atmospheric composition, chemistry and processes (370104)
Analytical spectrometry (340101)
Other chemical sciences (349999)
Atmospheric aerosols (370103)
Chemical oceanography (370802)
Electrochemistry (340604)
Physical oceanography (370803)
Inorganic chemistry (340299)
Biomaterials (400302)
Heritage, archive and museum studies (430299)
Synthetic biology (310113)
Analytical biochemistry (310101)
Instrumental methods (excl. immunological and bioassay methods) (340105)

Research Objectives
Expanding knowledge in the chemical sciences (280105)
Effects of climate change on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environments (excl. social impacts) (190503)
Atmospheric composition (incl. greenhouse gas inventory) (180102)
Fisheries - aquaculture (100299)
Understanding climate change (190599)
Measurement and assessment of marine water quality and condition (180505)
Expanding knowledge in the biomedical and clinical sciences (280103)
Other environmental management (189999)
Air quality (180101)
Scientific instruments (241003)
Other culture and society (139999)
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences (280102)
Horticultural crops (260599)
Water services and utilities (110504)
Aquaculture rock lobster (100206)
Other commercial services and tourism (119999)
Nutraceuticals and functional foods (241308)
Expanding knowledge in engineering (280110)
Fine chemicals (240904)

FUNDED PROJECTS

  • GRANT
    Additive Manufacturing of Silica-based Extraction Phases for Nutraceuticals
    1 Feb 2026 - 31 Dec 2028
    People funded by this grant:
    • Paull B,
    • Gupta V,
    • Kukuljan S,
    • Vithanage N,
    • Sanz Rodriguez E
    Project Total: $389,000; The project's overarching aim is to explore advanced manufacturing of highly selective extraction materials to improve the sustainability of dairy-based nutraceutical production processes. It will be realised by (1) 3D printing hybrid size exclusion and affinity separation media and extraction phases, (2) assessing performance and selectivity on diary process samples and developing quality assurance methods using hyphenated chromatographic technologies, and (3) applying and validating new developed extraction systems and processes centred upon new hybrid phase technologies, for high throughput extraction of a prime example of a dairy-derived high value protein and nutraceutical, lactoferrin, from raw milk at a pilot scale with our industry Partner Organization, Noumi Ltd. Funded by: Australian Research Council - Grant-Linkage Projects ($331,864); Noumi Limited ($77,904); University of Tasmania ($71,602).
  • GRANT
    ARC Training Centre for Hyphenated Analytical Separation Technologies
    14 Aug 2023 - 13 Aug 2028
    People funded by this grant:
    • Paull B,
    • Thomas K,
    • Shellie R,
    • Rauert C,
    • Sanz Rodriguez E
    Project Total: $6,349,227; The toughest analytical science challenges typically require advanced analytical technologies to acquire the desired solutions. In the field of separation science this inevitably involves hyphenated separation technologies, specifically the combination of chromatography and mass spectrometry. Advancing this technology to its full capability requires the collaborative strength of academic, industry and end-user partnerships, providing the materials and inspiration for young researchers to apply novel hyphenated methods to complex environmental and industrial systems. This Centre will deliver fundamental developments in hyphenated technologies, new analytical capability, and applied outcomes across multiple end-user groups and interests. Funded by: Australian Research Council - Grant-Industrial Transformation Training Centres ($4,958,927); Deakin University ($375,000); Queensland Health ($250,000); University of Queensland ($245,300); Trajan Scientific and Medical Pty Ltd ($240,000); Thermo Fisher Scientific Australia ($105,000); Noumi Limited ($105,000); Australian Antarctic Division ($80,000); Norske-Skog (Australasia) Pty Ltd ($70,000); University of Tasmania ($500,867).
  • GRANT
    Micro-electrofluidic platforms for monitoring 3D human biological models
    28 Jun 2022 - 27 Jun 2026
    People funded by this grant:
    • Paull B,
    • Crook J,
    • Tomaskovic-Crook E,
    • Sanz Rodriguez E
    Project Total: $503,862; The ability to study living cells and human biological models (cell cultures) delivers greater understanding of basic biological function and response to applied (bio)chemical stimuli. Creating the physical environments to sustain biological models, and mimic natural conditions and fluidic pathways, is immensely challenging, yet essential to deliver meaningful observational data. This project will deliver this capability through the convergence of expertise and innovation in analytical chemistry, materials science and cellular biology, ultilising the latest technology and understanding of 3D micro/electrofluidics, to enable the study and stimulation of advanced biological models, sustained within precisely controlled 3D micro-environments. Funded by: Australian Research Council - Grant-Discovery Projects ($503,862); University of Tasmania ($14,000).
  • GRANT
    Quarantined ion chromatography mass spectrometry (IC-MS) facility
    Australian Research Council1 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2021
    People funded by this grant:
    • Paull B,
    • Shabala L,
    • Bowie A,
    • Smith G,
    • Sanz Rodriguez E
    Project Total: $275,000; This proposal seeks to establish a quarantined facility for 'ion chromatography-mass spectrometry', to provide high resolution ion chromatographic and mass spectrometric analytical capability to the environmental, analytical/bioanalyical, and industrial science research communities. The state-of-the-art facility will represent theonly quarantined high-resolution IC-MS facility within Australia, and therefore not only support the above communities within Australia, but the potential to facilitate research collaboration internationally, including supporting Australia's leading Antarctic Science programs. Funded by: Australian Research Council - Grant-Linkage Infrastructure ($275,000); University of Tasmania ($150,000).
  • GRANT
    Development and application of new highly sensitive low volume capillary ion chromatography techniques to deliver higher resolution ice core derived paleoclimatic records
    Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth)30 Jun 2017 - 31 Dec 2019
    People funded by this grant:
    • Paull B,
    • Curran M,
    • Moy A,
    • Sanz Rodriguez E
    Project Total: $127,648; Development and application of new highly sensitive low volume capillary ion chromatography techniques to deliver higher resolution ice core derived paleoclimatic records. Funded by: Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth) - Grant-Australian Antarctic Science ($127,648); University of Tasmania.
  • GRANT
    Creating an ice core record from Antarctic samples using Capillary-Ion Chromatography coupled mass-spectrometry
    Ian Potter Foundation10 May 2015 - 30 Apr 2016
    People funded by this grant:
    • Sanz Rodriguez E,
    • Paull B,
    • Curran M
    Project Total: $30,000; Preservation of ionic species within Antarctic ice yields a unique proxy record of the Earth's climate history. We have developed an allnew capillary-ion chromatography (CapIC) method for quantitative analysis of anions in Antarctic ice core samples. The objective of this proposed research is the extension of the above proven chromatographic methodology via coupling with mass spectrometric detection. The compatibilities between CapIC and mass spectrometry should allow species identification, structural interpretation, lower detection limits and searching for new or alternative climate proxies which may support future climate models. The developed method will be applied to the analysis of about 150 real samples. Funded by: Ian Potter Foundation - Grant ($30,000); University of Tasmania.