Featured Biographies for the Icons of Spectroscopy Laureate Series
This article highlights key contributors who have significantly advanced the field of spectroscopy in recent decades.
Icons of Spectroscopy Laureate Series
Spectroscopy has published a series of feature articles highlighting the lives and careers of the most influential vibrational and atomic spectroscopists over the past 100 years. Our current technological status and progress in science have much to do with the lives, work, and discoveries of those who have gone before us. Therefore, we are paying tribute to some of these scientists who have paved the way for those of us using modern spectroscopic methods in our research and daily work (1).
Many notable spectroscopists have had their names and research memorialized in the naming of an award. From celebrating the accomplishments of young scientists to commemorating the achievements of academic and industry veterans, these awards recognize the leaders whose research has forever transformed the analytical sciences (2).
Here are the articles to date highlighting the Icons of Spectroscopy Laureates in order of publication.
Gary Hieftje: Pioneering Analytical Chemistry and Nurturing Future Scientists
Gary M. Hieftje is an Emeritus Distinguished Professor and the Robert and Marjorie Mann Chair of Chemistry at Indiana University. Over his 50-year tenure, he made significant contributions to analytical chemistry as a researcher, inventor, and mentor. His work spans multiple scientific disciplines, and his leadership has influenced both research and education, fostering a collaborative and supportive academic environment (3).
Peter Griffiths: Icon of Infrared Spectroscopy
Peter R. Griffiths, born and educated in England, earned his BA and DPhil in physical chemistry from Oxford University. After postdoctoral work at the University of Maryland, he worked in the infrared (IR) industry before joining academia. He held faculty positions at Ohio University, the University of California, Riverside, and the University of Idaho, where he retired as Chair Emeritus in 2008. A leading expert in vibrational spectroscopy, particularly Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Griffiths has authored seminal books on the subject and contributed to advancements in spectroscopy, chromatography, and atmospheric monitoring (4).
Clara Craver: An Icon of Vibrational Spectroscopy
Clara D. Craver Smith's contributions have laid the foundation for modern infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Notably, she played a key role in the Desk Book of Infrared Spectra, making privately held spectral data publicly accessible. As editor of the Coblentz Society reference desk, she was instrumental in compiling and organizing these spectra, significantly advancing the field (5).
William F. Meggers: The Dean of American Spectroscopists
William Frederick Meggers, honored as the Dean of American Spectroscopists by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards (NBS), dedicated over five decades of his career to NBS. Throughout his extensive tenure, spanning over half a century, Meggers made significant contributions to the fields of spectroscopy, atomic physics, and photographic techniques. Retiring officially at the age of 70 in 1958 as chief of the Spectroscopy Section of the NBS organization, his impact endured. He was notably recognized as the first recipient of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy Gold Medal and remains immortalized through the Meggers Award, an annual accolade bestowed for the most outstanding paper published in the journal Applied Spectroscopy (6).
Ellis Ridgeway Lippincott: A Legacy of Scientific Innovation
Ellis R. Lippincott is one of the most influential spectroscopists of the past 100 years. He has been a notable research figure in molecular spectra and structure studies using infrared and Raman spectroscopy; in the study of potential energy functions, including hydrogen bonding; and in the invention and study of high-pressure spectroscopic studies using the high-pressure diamond anvil cell. He also has applied spectroscopic techniques and analysis to the study of planetary atmospheres, biochemistry, and chemical lasers (7).
An Interview with Jeanette Grasselli Brown, Parts 1–3
Jeanette Grasselli Brown is a distinguished American analytical chemist and spectroscopist known for her contributions to industrial spectroscopy. As a researcher at Standard Oil of Ohio (now BP America), she played a pivotal role in advancing infrared and Raman spectrometry. Throughout her career, she has worked to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial applications, leaving a lasting impact on the field (8–10). A three-part video interview with Jeanette Grasselli Brown by Spectroscopy associate editorial director Caroline Hroncich is found in references (8–10).
Jeanette Grasselli Brown Part 1 Interview (8)
Jeanette Grasselli Brown Part 2 Interview (9)
Jeanette Grasselli Brown Part 2 Interview (10)
Van Zandt Williams, Norman E. Wright, and the Legacy of the Coblentz Society
Van Zandt Williams from Perkin-Elmer Corporation and American Cyanamid, and Norman E. Wright from the Dow Chemical Company have made significant contributions to the field of vibrational spectroscopy. Their efforts have been recognized through the annual Coblentz Society Williams-Wright Award, inaugurated in 1978. Wright and Williams officially founded the Coblentz Society in June 1954; sent out the first newsletter on May 10, 1955; and held the society’s first official meeting on June 16, 1955. Together, Williams and Wright were true pioneers in the formation and application of industrial infrared spectroscopy, and with Clara Craver, in the organization and compilation of the first set of accurate reference infrared spectra for research comparison and industrial use. The importance of these early high-quality infrared spectra cannot be overstated (11).
William Weber Coblentz: American Physicist and Pioneer of Infrared Spectroscopy
W. W. Coblentz was one of the preeminent researchers in the field of infrared spectroscopy with work spanning a broad range of physics, chemistry, spectroscopic theory, instrumentation, applications, and sample handling. The Coblentz Society was established in his name in 1954 by Norman E. Wright and Van Zandt Williams (12).
Tomas Hirschfeld: Prolific Research Chemist, Mentor, Inventor, and Futurist
Tomas B. Hirschfeld was a pioneering chemist and inventor whose contributions to spectroscopy, biomedical diagnostics, and sensor technology, including infrared and Raman spectroscopy, and fiber-optic sensors, revolutionized chemical analysis, and medical diagnostics (13).
References
(1) Workman, J., Jr. Announcing the Icons of Spectroscopy Laureate Series. Spectroscopy Online, November 1, 2023. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/announcing-the-icons-of-spectroscopy-laureate-series (accessed 2025-02-25).
(2) Workman, J., Jr. Icons of Spectroscopy Laureate Series: Eponym Spectroscopy Awards. Spectroscopy Online, December 1, 2023. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/eponym-spectroscopy-awards (accessed 2025-02-25).
(3) Workman, J., Jr. Gary Hieftje: Pioneering Analytical Chemistry and Nurturing Future Scientists. Spectroscopy 2024, 39 (1), 29–32. DOI: 10.56530/spectroscopy.sa5582f1
(4) Workman, J., Jr. Peter Griffiths: Icon of Infrared Spectroscopy. Spectroscopy 2024, 39 (2), 32–35. DOI: 10.56530/spectroscopy.zb2875c7
(5) Hroncich, C. Clara Craver: An Icon of Vibrational Spectroscopy. Spectroscopy 2024, 39 (3), 30–34. DOI: 10.56530/spectroscopy.rx2766r4
(6) Workman, J., Jr. William F. Meggers: The Dean of American Spectroscopists. Spectroscopy 2024, 39 (4), 26–29. DOI: 10.56530/spectroscopy.ul9587s1
(7) Workman, J., Jr. Ellis Ridgeway Lippincott: A Legacy of Scientific Innovation. Spectroscopy 2024, 39 (5), 40–44. DOI: 10.56530/spectroscopy.ky8184w3
(8) Hroncich, C. Interview with Jeanette Grasselli Brown, Part 1. Spectroscopy Online. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/icons-of-spectroscopy-an-interview-with-jeanette-grasselli-brown-part-i. (accessed 2025-02-25).
(9) Hroncich, C. Interview with Jeanette Grasselli Brown, Part 2. Spectroscopy Online. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/icons-of-spectroscopy-an-interview-with-jeanette-grasselli-brown-part-2. (accessed 2025-02-25).
(10) Hroncich, C. Interview with Jeanette Grasselli Brown, Part 3. Spectroscopy Online. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/icons-of-spectroscopy-an-interview-with-jeanette-grasselli-brown-part-3. (accessed 2025-02-25).
(11) Workman, J., Jr. Van Zandt Williams, Norman E. Wright, and the Legacy of the Coblentz Society. Spectroscopy 2025, 40 (1), 26–29. DOI: 10.56530/spectroscopy.vi2583d6
(12) Workman, J., Jr. William Weber Coblentz: American Physicist and Pioneer of Infrared. Spectroscopy 2025, 40 (2), 37–40. DOI: 10.56530/spectroscopy.ca3090f5
(13) Workman, J., Jr. Tomas Hirschfeld: Prolific Research Chemist, Mentor, Inventor, and Futurist. Spectroscopy Online, February 24, 2025, DOI: https://doi.org/10.56530/spectroscopy.is1173s3
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