To get an idea of these complex chemo-physical relationships, think about the sense of smell. The molecules responsible for the scent strike receptors in the nose here, too. A human has roughly 400 different receptors, to which different scent molecules dock and impart a stimulus to the brain, which then reports, “That’s vanilla!” And, as Torsi explains, there is another parallel between the innovative sensors and the nose. “Both determine the type of molecule immediately and to a certain extent ‘live’. That’s a key difference from previous chromatographic analysis.” The method is thus as elegant as one of the substances with which the team demonstrated the capability of the sensors in Nature: beta-citronellol, which has a refreshing scent similar to lemon balm. The sensor was able to reliably detect it at concentrations as low as three ppm (parts per million).

The sensor also signals something else, however. “Like creativity, knowledge, and passion, an interdisciplinary approach is a foundation for innovations,” which the professor believes are possible only with a capable team that also works well together. Were things sometimes more difficult for her as a woman in the man’s world of physicists and chemists? “It isn’t exactly easy for women in science to gain recognition at the highest levels, that’s true. My personal experience, however,” adds the mother of two sons, “is that my colleagues are probably blind to gender differences.”

Her publication in Nature, which in 2010 made her the first woman ever to be recognized with the Heinrich Emanuel Merck Prize for Analytical Sciences, outlines the basic concept of innovative sensors for extremely sensitive analytical determinations. “One of my greatest desires is for this to eventually result in high-performance products,” says Torsi, who already holds three international patents.