Mr Les Janik

		Principal Scientist and Infrared spectroscopy specialist in soil research
		CSIRO Land and Water PO Box 2 Glen Osmond SA 5064 Telephone: +61-8-8303 6280 Facsimile: +61-8-8303 6524 E-mail: Les Janik

Mr Janik pioneered the use of mid-infrared spectroscopy for soil analysis and soil organic matter in Australia.

Mr Les Janik's research areas include study of soil compositional chemistry, soil organic matter and soil mineralogy.  He is currently investigating the application of infrared and multivariate techniques on soil contaminants

• Current activities
• Expertise
• Background
• Achievements
• Professional activities

Current activities

Mr Les Janik is a Principal Scientist in the Environmental Biogeochemistry program within CSIRO Land and Water.

Mr Janik's research and commercial project work focuses on the study of soil physicochemical properties in the areas of soil organic matter, mineralogy and soil contamination through the application of infrared spectroscopy and. multivariate statistics.  His role within the project is as a consultant to the groups’ research activities, drawing on over 40 years of infrared and soil research expertise.

Current projects: 

• soil contamination
• european metals/soils survey.

Expertise

• infrared spectroscopy
• chemometrics
• molecular vibrational analysis
• soil science
• soil organic matter
• clay-organic complexes.

Background

Mr Janik completed a graduate diploma in Industrial Chemistry (Chemical Technology) at the South Australian Institute of Technology, South Australia, and then, while working as a Research Officer at CSIRO, received a Masters Degree in Applied Science in 1988 on research into the vibrational analysis of clay aniline intercalate systems. 

Mr Les Janik's research includes the study of soil compositional chemistry through multivariate analysis infrared spectroscopy.

After commencing work at CSIRO in 1968, during the 1980s he developed infrared internal reflectance techniques for the determination of molecular structures of clay-organic intercalation complexes.  During the 1990s Mr Janik was responsible for adapting the chemometric method Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression with mid-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy technique to the quantitative prediction of soil physicochemical properties, particularly in the field of soil organic matter chemistry.  This work underpins an important soil carbon sequestration model currently used by the Australian Greenhouse Office. 

During 2004-2008 Mr Janik ran his own infrared consultancy and was concurrently employed with the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) to develop mid-infrared and visible-near-infrared spectroscopy for the analysis of wines, grape and juices, as well as setting up a 5-year project for the use of infrared and uv-visible spectroscopy in the study of the environmental impact of grape and wine production on the soil environment.

Since 2000 he has continued to work for commercialising the mid-infrared analysis of soils, and then in 2004 to assist in the application of mid-infrared technique to the study of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination and metal partitioning parameters in soils. 

Achievements

Mr Janik has published 37 journal articles, 27 technical and consultancy reports and 20 conference papers. He is inventor or co-inventor in five Australian and international provisional patents, and is also contributing to 3 international contamination research projects. He has been invited to give numerous talks to Australian and international audiences.
Full CSIRO Land and Water publications list

Professional activities

Mr Janik is a member of the:

• Australian Society of Soil Science Inc (ASSSI)

Read more about CSIRO's Infrared Soil Analysis laboratory.