Throughout the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, three post graduate students from the School of Chemistry will be part of the team of research students recruited by GlaxoSmithKline and trained by King's College London to assist with the preparation of urine samples from athletes in the GSK anti-doping laboratories.

The lab operations will be led by Professor David Cowan, Director of the Drug Control Centre at King's College London. Girgis Obaid, María Marín and Susan van de Heide will be preparing samples for screening for prohibited substances. They will be a key part of the extensive efforts made to ensure the 2012 Games are ‘clean’.

They are all working towards PhDs under the supervision of Prof. David Russell studying the uses of various nanoparticles for biological and analytical applications. Girgis is currently in his third year, Maria her final year, and Susan in the second year of her PhD. 

Girgis said “We feel very honoured to be given the opportunity to work on such an important and exciting task alongside a team of highly specialised analysts.”

Further information GlaxoSmithKline’s role in the Olympic and Paralympic Games can be found here. 

Below: Susan, Maria and Girgis hard at work before they leave for the Anti-Doping Laboratories.