INFICON Technology and Expertise Recognized with Honorary Research Appointment
INFICON’s gas sensing and field instrumentation expertise is heading back into the field, this time with formal recognition from one of Europe’s leading earth science research institutions.
Dr. Andres Diaz has been named an honorary Research Associate at the Italian National Geophysics and Vulcanology Institute (INGV) for a two-year term. Dr. Diaz, an experimental physicist with more than 30 years working in academia and industry on developing and implementing gas sensing instrumentation for harsh environment applications, is the Applications Research Lead for Emerging Technologies & New Markets, working with INFICON on cutting-edge research at the intersection of science and technology.
This appointment builds on more than a decade of joint fieldwork with INGV applying INFICON gas-sensing instrumentation to some of the most demanding environments on Earth: active volcanic and geothermal regions across Italy. Paired with satellite observations, INFICON technology has helped INGV researchers measure gas emissions, thermal anomalies, and lava flow activity with a level of precision that supports both scientific publication and real-world hazard monitoring at volcanic sites.
INFICON Instrumentation at the Center of a Multi-Sensor Field Campaign
That work continues in September 2026, when Dr. Diaz joins INGV’s next field campaign on Vulcano Island, Sicily, following preparatory testing at INGV offices in Rome, Naples, and Palermo.
The campaign will deploy airborne hyperspectral instruments, UAV-mounted thermal cameras, and UAV- and ground-based multi-gas sensing systems side by side, benchmarking ground-truth data against satellite observations collected with the Italian Space Agency. INFICON gas sensing systems and Dr. Diaz’s expertise in instrumentation, UAV operations, and geochemical volcanic precursors monitoring are central to how the campaign gathers and validates this data.
In this application, INFICON technology is ideal for harsh environmental applications because it was built to work in the harshest industrial manufacturing settings.
A Growing Role in Earth Science Research
Dr. Diaz has also been invited to present as a guest speaker at INGV’s Rome office to highlight INFICON’s recent advances in gas sensing instrumentation and its growing role in Earth science observation.
Beyond this specific collaboration, the INGV appointment reflects a broader pattern in INFICON's innovation strategy: adapting proven gas sensing technology to demanding new environments, guided by close work with research partners in the field. A similar approach shaped INFICON's recent engagement with earthquake monitoring agencies.
Together, these collaborations point toward an expanding role for INFICON instrumentation across geophysics, seismology, and volcanology applications worldwide.
Read more about our volcanic research
Volcanic eruptions are among the most impressive natural phenomena, capable of drastically altering landscapes and posing threats to both humans and wildlife. To improve the prediction of such events, INFICON has been working since June 2022 with international research institutions on the Italian islands of Vulcano and Stromboli.
Gas detection technology from INFICON helps us better understand volcanic activity and protect lives.
Overcoming Complex Challenges to Protect People and the Environment