Adam is a PhD student at the University of Sydney and works at the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory (ASDTL), a section of the National Measurement Institute (NMI).

The exciting field of doping control in sport, which is a truly multi-disciplined area of science involving chemistry, biology, pharmacology, sport science and forensic law.

I became interested in a chemistry career at the age of eight for reasons I'm not quite sure of. None of my family or anyone I knew for that matter had a career in science but I had an early interest in how things worked and why.

I became instantly hooked on a career in the science of doping control when I gained entry to an internship with ASDTL as part of the "Year in Industry" program organised by the School of Chemistry of the University of Sydney. This involved 15 months full-time educational employment at ASDTL and subsequent deferment of my third year of undergraduate science following the completion of my second year enrolled in the B.Sc. degree at the University of Sydney.

Most of the education and training required was obtained during my internship. In this time I was fortunate to be exposed to the principles of good laboratory practice (GLP) and Quality Assurance (QA) applied to forensic science applications. It was important to understand these principles before going anywhere near a drug standard, urine sample or the state-of-the-art instrumentation that I use routinely today. Obviously the legal consequences of the work performed by ASDTL and NMI in general require a substantial investment in ensuring high quality analytical results. This turned out to be ideal for me as a student since I was able to carefully consider the consequences and ethical integrity of scientific work that I perform today and hope to perform in the future.

I completed the four-year B.Sc. (Hons) degree over the space of six years. Following the one-year deferment of my third year to participate in the Year in Industry program, I completed the third year chemistry course as an exchange student based at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. On my return I deferred my honours year when I was employed by ASDTL full-time to assist in the development of new analytical methods for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games doping control program. In 2001, I completed an industry based honours project at ASDTL researching new methods to detect steroid administration in athletes.

In a rather unique way since I have in the past, and continue to pursue academic qualifications with an industry based perspective that I am interested in. I believe this approach has helped me to develop the necessary scientific skills to perform the work that needs to be done today and the research that I want to do in the future. The people skills I have gained are also very important to work effectively in a team orientated and friendly workplace environment.

What are the tasks that you do in a typical day? Write literature reviews on previous research in doping control Plan future experiments to improve methods of detecting illegal doping Carry out previously planned experiments using state of the art techniques Review experimental results and perform statistical analysis on them Ensure that experimental results adhere to QA protocols Present results and discuss their implications to doping control at research meetings What skills do you use in your job? The skills I use are wide and varied. They range from maintaining constructive interactions with colleagues to technical knowledge of chemical techniques and instrumentation. Probably the most important is the ability to think of ideas, plan methods, perform investigations, analyse data and present information in an analytical manner. Chemistry is important to my life since it facilitates strategic thinking to solve complex problems. I utilize this in the area of doping control to put myself in the mind of a drug cheat so I am aware of the chemistry they may use to circumvent the tests that I develop. It is like a game of chess that never ends.

Adam at work in the laboratory

More than anything, I enjoy working with dedicated people who like to make a difference in science. We certainly have that in the ASDTL team and it's a privilege to work alongside them.

There isn't much I don't like about my job but sometimes the smell of urine can make me wish I worked in the fresh air!

• Police forensic analysis
• Pharmaceutical research
• Drug policy and education
• Patent law

• Fantastic job satisfaction
• New challenges everyday
• Collaboration with world leaders in scientific disciplines
• Use of cutting edge technology

The only disadvantage of working in this field is the pessimism directed at us in doping control by those who believe that the cheats will always win. They say that we are too far behind and that for each dollar we spend researching new methods they will spend a thousand trying to circumvent our new tests. Personally, I find these attitudes defeatist and contrary to the belief that science will provide new knowledge no matter what the odds. The optimism that doping control scientist's hold is analogous to that shared by the law enforcement community in the fight against drugs, and medical researchers in their fight against cancer. I believe that the only alternative to positive and constructive scientific research is to admit defeat and quite literally let the bad guys win. In my mind this is not an option, so we should let the science show that in time and with a lot of effort these battles can be won.

Current research in doping control is concerned with investigating the natural levels of endogenous (ie. naturally occurring) compounds and how they and their metabolites change following illegal administrations. In addition to improving the science of doping control, these studies may provide new information that will contribute to more effective use of medicine such as hormone replacement therapies. The improvements in specialised techniques used in doping control such as Mass Spectrometry may also be applied to other areas of analytical chemistry such as food and environment analysis. These fields are important for monitoring contaminant levels for health and trade purposes.

I believe that the scientific aspect attached to the broader issue of drugs in sport has, along with other areas of forensic science, raised the level of public interest in science. From my experience presenting at scientific conferences the reception I have received from people has been inspiring, and at times overwhelming. People, whether they are young or old, scientists or non-scientists, are genuinely interested in how doping control is taking the fight to the cheats. I find this pleasing, particularly from the non-scientists, since this work has broadened people's view of science from the nerdy old guy with glasses and white coat stereotype to the image of science playing a critical role in everyday life. In terms of education I believe the scientific community can exploit the novelty that young people have with forensic science. The popularity of CSI and Discovery Channel on television can be used in a positive way to foster the next generation of scientists who will be the ones to further the fight on drugs and find cures for cancer.

Sport is ingrained in Australian and many other cultures. Either in an active or passive form it is a favourite recreational activity. While sport has many emotional ties, today it also represents big business. Promotion of products through sports marketing and sponsorship continues to rise at an extraordinary rate. The difference between gold and silver for an athlete competing at the Olympic Games can mean several millions of dollars and widely acclaimed fame. Unfortunately however, the ambition driving athletes to be the best has also driven some to use performance-enhancing and potentially harmful substances to give them "the edge". The use of drugs in sport is a public health issue that if avoided would threaten the lives of athletes throughout the world and indirectly support the illegal use of drugs by people. The function of doping control therefore is to protect the health, legal and ethical rights of athletes, and in doing so serves society in a positive way.

In 5 years time I hope to have completed my Ph.D and contributed knowledge to the area of doping control through publication and presentation of my research. If the opportunity arose to conduct postdoctoral research overseas I would consider it. I would also consider applying the skills I have gained in science to an even more applied area such as forensic law.

If you wish to ask Adam for additional information, you can email UniServe Science and we will contact Adam for you. Make sure you include Adam's name and occupation in the Subject line.

You can find out more about the drug testing and Adam's work from

National Measurement Institute web site

Find out more about drugs in sport and anti-drugs in sport strategies

Australian Sports Drug Agency web site

Drug Testing Interview with Dr Lester Lee - published in Max Sport and Fitness magazine

Who will win the drugs race? - from NOVA, Australian Academy of Science

How Performance-Enhancing Drugs Work - from How Stuff Works

Tough on Drugs in Sport - from Australia's Anti-drugs in Sport Strategy, Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts

Drug Testing Porgram - from National Collegiate Athletic Association, includes timeline of the development of drug testing and an algorithm for positive testing

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