Simon Nordstad holds an M.Sc. in geoscience from the University of Kiel, Germany. During his graduate studies, he worked in a geochemical laboratory, where he gained hands-on experience with acid digestion and sample preparation techniques for ICP-MS, ICP-OES, and LA-ICP-MS analyses. He also contributed to the development of the manufacturing process for microanalytical reference materials known as Nano-Pellets.

Following graduation, he and his team were awarded the federal EXIST Founder’s Grant, which supported the launch of myStandards GmbH in 2018. myStandards specializes in the production of certified microanalytical reference materials for elemental and isotopic analysis. In 2022, myStandards GmbH expanded its product offerings to include micrometre-scale pressed powder pellets for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), followed by the development of materials compatible with handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instruments in 2023.