LESTER W. STROCK AWARDThe Lester W. Strock Award is given by the New England Section of the Society of Applied Spectroscopy in recognition of a selected publication of substantive research in/or application of analytical atomic spectrochemistry in the fields of earth science, life sciences, or stellar and cosmic sciences.
2026 Award Recipient - Professor Kevin WilkinsonThe International Atomic Spectrometry Association and the New England Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy are pleased to announce Professor Kevin Wilkinson of the Université de Montréal as the 2026 recipient of the Lester W. Strock Award. The award recognizes a selected publication involving substantive research in, or application of, analytical atomic spectrochemistry in the fields of earth science, life sciences, or stellar and cosmic sciences. Professor Wilkinson is a Professor in Environmental Chemistry at the Université de Montréal. His research focuses on gaining a molecular-level understanding of contaminant bioavailability and mobility, especially for colloidal particles and trace metals in water, air, soils, and biota. He has established a world-class laboratory at UdeM that uses advanced analytical infrastructure to study complex environmental problems. Wilkinson has authored more than 200 publications, has received more than 17,000 citations, and has an h-index of 72. He serves as Associate Editor for Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Science: Nano. In 2018, his research was recognized by the Canadian Institute of Chemistry with the Dima Environmental Research Award. Professor Wilkinson will receive the award at the 2026 SciX Conference in Sparks, Nevada, where he will deliver a keynote lecture and organize a special awards symposium. Please join us in celebrating this remarkable achievement and his continued contributions to advancing scientific understanding and innovation. 2025 Award Recipient - James Ranville
Dr Ranville is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Colorado School of Mines and is the director of the Geochemistry Interdisciplinary graduate degree program. His main research interest is in environmental geochemistry as it relates to trace metals in human-disturbed ecosystems, environmental nanoparticles and colloids, natural organic matter, and aquatic ecotoxicology. His postdoctoral work at Monash University focused on coupling field flow fractionation to ICP-MS. In the past decade the development and application of single particle ICP-MS has been a core research area of his group.
2024 Award Recipient - Benjamin Manard
2023 Award Recipient – MARIA MONTES-BAYÓNRecognizing a series of stellar publications addressing the use of atomic spectroscopy in speciation and metallomics research. These multidisciplinary research contributions have advanced the integration of separations science and biology coupled with atomic spectroscopy to address critical society concerns.
Prof. Maria Montes-Bayón holds a bachelor in Chemistry (1993, University of Oviedo, Spain), a master in Analytical Chemistry (1994, University of Plymouth, UK/ University of Oviedo) and a PhD (1999, University of Oviedo; awarded) degree. From April 2000 till July 2002, she joined the research group of Prof. Joseph A. Caruso at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati (Ohio, USA) as Postdoctoral Fulbright Fellow. After this period, she got a Ramón y Cajal Senior Researcher contract at the University of Oviedo for five years. Later, in 2008, she became Associate Professor and in 2017, Full Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Oviedo (Spain). Her main research interests are: a) Development of quantitative strategies for determination of molecular biomarkers of clinical relevance at the single cell level using ICP-MS; b) Evaluation of encapsulated metallodrugs for their potential use in chemotherapy using mass spectrometry and c) Analytical tools to study biogenic nanoparticles and metal nano- debris from metallic implants. 2022 Award Recipient – Igor GornushkinRecognizing contributions, and expertise in fundamental and applied spectroscopy including Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), emission, absorption, fluorescence, and Raman. Dr. Gornushkin’s research and over 32 publications since 2017 have provided the underlying theoretical foundation to many spectroscopists, including high profile international analytical spectroscopy research groups.
Dr. Igor Igor Gornushkin is a senior scientist at the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Berlin, Germany. His major expertise is in fundamental and applied spectroscopy including LIBS, emission, absorption, and fluorescence with a focus on modeling and simulation of laser induced plasma and development of spectroscopic methods for environmental, industrial, and laboratory applications.
2021 Award Recipient – Uwe KarstDr. Karst is being recognized for his contributions to the field of analytical atomic spectrometry, research across multiple disciplines, including areas such as medical, pharmaceutical, and environmental, and 39 papers on understanding Gd-based contrast agents from both a medical and environmental aspects.
Dr. Uwe Karst holds the Chair of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Münster, Germany, since 2005. Previously, he was appointed as Chair of Chemical Analysis at the University of Twente, The Netherlands, from 2001 until 2005. He is author of more than 350 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
2020 Award Recipient – Heidi Goenaga-Infante
Dr. Goenaga-Infante is a Science Fellow of LGC. She is also the Principal Scientist and Team Leader of the Inorganic Analysis team of fourteen PhDs and postgraduate scientists. Dr. Goenaga-Infante is being recognized for her contributions to the field of analytical atomic spectrometry including the development of a new miniaturized spatial heterodyne spectrometer for standoff measurements of LIBS spectra and pioneering LIBS technique for underwater measurements, as well as outstanding publication history and citation.
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