The doctoral work of Miriam Aledda shows that targeted selection of key spectral regions and variables allows portable MIR spectroscopy to deliver robust, accurate results using only sparse measurement data.
What was the goal of the thesis?
Aledda's thesis addresses the challenges of portable mid-infrared spectroscopy, where limited spectral data restrict analytical capabilities. The primary goal was to develop and evaluate data analysis methods capable of extracting robust chemical information from sparse datasets.
What are the main findings?
The most significant result is that targeted selection of informative wavelengths, using advanced algorithms, can achieve predictive performance comparable to traditional broadband spectroscopy.
Why is this research important?
Portable MIR devices are increasingly used in fields like food safety, environmental monitoring, and medical diagnostics, but they are hindered by hardware constraints. Aledda's findings provide strategies for optimizing both data analysis and device design, enabling more accurate, efficient, and practical chemical analyses in real-world settings. The impact extends to faster and more reliable field testing, and may also improve spectroscopic imaging workflows across scientific disciplines.
FACTS:
Miriam Aledda
- Ph.D. thesis: NMBU's Faculty of Science and Technology
- Former education: MSc. Analytical Chemistry
- Title of thesis:
- Norwegian: Dataanalysemetoder for å muliggjøre overføring av infrarød spektroskopi fra laboratoriemiljøer til praktiske anvendelser i felt: modellering av begrensede datasett og seleksjon av bølgelengdekanaler
- English: Data analysis approaches for translating infrared spectroscopy from laboratory settings to on-site applications: sparse data modeling and wavelength channel selection
Miriam Aledda will defend her ph.d. thesis on Tuesday, 2 June 2026.