Honorary Membership Award

Honorary Member Award: This award is established to recognize individuals for their exceptional contributions to the field of spectroscopy and is the highest award given by the Society. Regional, Technical, or Student Sections, individual members, the Awards Committee, or the Executive Committee may make nominations for the Honorary Membership Award. Nomination material should include a letter of recommendation with supporting documentation regarding the nominee's contributions to the field of spectroscopy, a current CV, and a short bio.

To be considered for the 2025 Honorary Membership Award, please submit your nomination using the online nomination form by December 1, 2024.

2025 Award Winners

Professor Duncan Graham
Duncan Graham is a Distinguished Professor, Associate Principal and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.  He was appointed as a lecturer in 2002 at the University of Strathclyde and promoted to professor in 2004. In 2007 he was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh then awarded the RSC’s Corday Morgan prize in 2009, a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award in 2010, the Craver Award of the Coblentz Society, a Fellows Award from the Society of Applied Spectroscopy in 2012, the RSC’s Theophilus Redwood award in 2016 and the FACSS Charles Mann Award in 2017.  He served as Editor in Chief of the RSC journal Analyst for 7 years and has just started as Editor in Chief of the RSC journal Chemical Society Reviews.  He was president of the analytical division of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2017-2020), chair of the analytical chemistry trust fund (2017-2020) and then chaired the Publishing board of the RSC as well as serving as a trustee (2020-2024).  He has published over 300 papers with 17 patents and has supervised over 70 PhD students and 40 postdoctoral researchers.  His scientific interests are in developing new diagnostic assays based on nanoparticles and spectroscopy with target molecules including DNA, RNA, proteins and small molecule biomarkers.

Professor R. Kenneth (Ken) Marcus
R. Kenneth (Ken) Marcus is the Robert Adger Bowen Professor of Chemistry at Clemson University.  Marcus received B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Physics from Longwood College in 1982 and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Virginia in 1986 under the tutelage of W. W. Harrison developing new glow discharge optical emission and mass spectrometry (GD-OES/MS) sources.  He began his academic career that year at Clemson University, where his early program included the invention and practical development of radio frequency (rf) powered GD sources, generating a number of patents.  Efforts then turned to looking at ways to introduction liquid chromatography eluates and particulates into GD sources.  Over the last 15 years, efforts have moved from low-pressure to atmospheric pressure GD sources, specifically the liquid sampling atmospheric pressure glow discharge (LS-APGD) sources.  These microplasmas, originally developed for OES operation, are the heart of an ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry program, wherein the devices are coupled to Orbitrap mass spectrometers. Those efforts began in collaboration with PNNL and now with ORNL, where again multiple patents have evolved.  Through the course of his career, Marcus is most proud of the 45 Ph.D. graduates from his laboratory, many of whom are now leaders in the field.

Honorary Members

S. Michael Angel
Sandy Asher
Arnold O. Beckman*
Freeman Bentley*
John Bertie
LaVerne S. Birks*
Robert R. Brattain*
Frederick Brech*
I. D'Arcy Brent II*
William R. Brode*
H. Howard Cary*
John Chalmers
D. Bruce. Chase
Forrest F. Cleveland*
William W. Coblentz*
Norman B. Colthup*
Bryce L. Crawford, Jr.*
John A. Dean*
M. Bonner Denton
Rina K. Dukor
Velmer A. Fassel*
William G. Fateley*
John R. Ferraro*
Jeanette Graselli-Brown
Peter R. Griffiths
Herbert S. Gutowsky*
Joel Harris
George R. Harrison*
Roland C. Hawes*
Gerhard. Herzberg*
Gary M. Hieftje
Tomas Hirschfeld*
Edwin S. Hodge*
John F. Jackovitz*
Richard Jarrell*
Edwin K. Jaycox*
William I. Kaye*
Wolfgang Kiefer
Gordon F. Kirkbright*
Jack L. Koenig
S. Roy Koirtyohann
Jaan. Laane
Ira W. Levin

Herman A. Liebhafsky*
Richard C. Lord, Jr.*
Alan G. Marshall
William F. Meggers*
Melvin G. Mellon*
Robert E. Michaelis*
Foil A. Miller*
Terry Miller
Larry Nafie
Kazuo Nakamoto*
Henry H. Nielsen*
Alfred O. Nier*
Isao Noda
Karl Norris
Richard A. Nyquist*
Nicolo Omenetto
Yukihiro Ozaki
Richard Palmer
Earl K. Plyler*
William J. Poehlman*
Theodor C. Rains*
Geraldine Richmond
Harry Rose*
Anton Savitsky*
Alexander Scheeline
Borden F. Scribner*
Heinz W. Siesler
Charlotte M. Sitterly*
Walter Slavin
Frank H. Spedding*
Lester W. Strock*
MitsuoTasumi
Richard Van Duyne*
Isiah Warner
G. Vernon Wheeler*
Charles L. Wilkins
E. Bright Wilson*
James D. Winefordner
Ray Woodriff*
Norman Wright*
*deceased