Rate My Professor Edith Viirlaid

Edith Viirlaid is a Lecturer in Colloidal and Environmental Chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Faculty of Science and Technology. She holds the position of Programme Director for the Chemistry Master's programme and serves as a Teaching Excellence Ambassador. Viirlaid obtained her BSc in Chemistry from the University of Tartu between 1996 and 2001, followed by an MSc in Chemistry from the same institution in 2003. She completed her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Tartu in 2020, with a doctoral dissertation entitled "Biosensing Pesticides in Water Samples," supervised by Toonika Rinken. Before entering academia full-time, she worked as a product control specialist-technologist at AS Estiko Plastar from 2003 to 2010. Since 2013, she has been affiliated with the University of Tartu Institute of Chemistry, initially as an Assistant and later advancing to Lecturer in her current chair.

Viirlaid's research specializes in biosensors for environmental monitoring, particularly the development of platforms for rapid on-site detection of pesticides such as glyphosate and carbaryl in water. Her PhD work involved tyrosinase inhibition-based biosensors for carbaryl (detection range 0.1–20 mg/L, LOD 0.2 mg/L) and competitive fluorescence immunoassays for glyphosate (LOD 406 mg/L, analysis time approximately 37 minutes without pretreatment). She optimized sample stabilization and preconcentration using EDC/NHS chemistry on aminoactivated silica beads and magnetic nanoparticles, maintaining stability for at least one week at room temperature and pH 7. These methods were validated against HPLC/MS in real and spiked water samples. Key publications include "Immunoassay for rapid on-site detection of glyphosate herbicide" (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2019, with M. Ilisson, S. Kopantšuk, U. Mäeorg, A. Rinken, T. Rinken) and "Glyphosate attachment on aminoactivated carriers for sample stabilization and concentration" (Agronomy Research, 2015, with R. Riiberg, U. Mäeorg, T. Rinken). Earlier work includes "Transient phase calibration of tyrosinase-based carbaryl biosensor" (Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 2004). Viirlaid received the University of Tartu Lecturer of the Year award in 2018 and the Teaching Staff of the Year award in 2023 for her engaging lectures, practical classes, and dedication in colloidal and environmental chemistry courses, as recognized by student feedback.