Nancy Mueller

Papers

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About

Nancy Mueller is a pioneering figure in the application of laboratory robotics to analytical chemistry, with her most cited work focusing on the concurrent high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of carbohydrate distribution and 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde in corn syrups. Her key research areas include automated sample preparation, chromatographic method development, and food chemistry. Mueller’s major contribution lies in demonstrating how robotics can streamline complex, multi-step analytical procedures—specifically, programming a lab robot to conduct two separate HPLC analyses simultaneously, enhancing throughput and precision. Although her most cited paper has garnered only 2 citations, its significance is methodological: it showcases early, innovative use of automation in food analysis, a precursor to modern high-throughput systems. Mueller’s work underscores the potential of robotics to reduce human error and increase efficiency in industrial quality control, particularly for starch hydrolyzates. Her achievement lies not in citation volume but in foresight, laying groundwork for automated laboratories that are now commonplace. For students and researchers, Mueller exemplifies how niche technical innovations can quietly shape the future of analytical science.