The University of Utah researcher discusses surface-area-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, lipid membrane studies, and his move into PFAS testing.
Jay Kitt, a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah, is the recipient of the 2026 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy Award.1–3 Sponsored by Spectroscopy, the award recognizes scientists early in their careers making significant contributions to molecular spectroscopy; past winners include Lu Wei, Lingyan Shi, and Ishan Barman.1,3
As part of our coverage of the 2026 SciX Conference in Sparks, Nevada, Spectroscopy sat down with Kitt to talk about his research. In this clip, Kitt provides a brief overview of what he presented at SciX.
Working in Joel Harris's research group, Kitt applies confocal Raman microscopy to chromatographic silica surfaces, supported phospholipid bilayers, and DNA hybridization kinetics.3 His work includes surface-area-enhanced Raman spectroscopy as a quantitative, reproducible alternative to plasmonic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).3 He previously received the Society for Applied Spectroscopy's Distinguished Service Award.3
In our conversation, Kitt reflected on his most cited paper, a 2017 Journal of the American Chemical Society study on cardiolipin and cytochrome c that connected membrane permeabilization to apoptosis and cancer biology, which he conceived and carried out largely independently as a graduate student.3 He discussed what made the question compelling and how his thinking has since evolved.
He also discussed his most recent paper on gramicidin A, in which self-modeling curve resolution showed seven to eight lipid molecules around each gramicidin channel are affected by hydrophobic mismatch. Kitt explains what that number reveals about how antimicrobial peptides disrupt membranes and how it might inform drug design.
Kitt also addressed his career pivot: in the same year, he took on a joint appointment in chemical engineering and a role as Director of Chemistry at Litmus Analytical, an early-stage per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing startup. He described what drew him to PFAS testing and how the transition is going, concluding by identifying the biggest unmet analytical need in molecular spectroscopy his generation is positioned to solve.
We are looking forward to sharing with you the rest of our conversation with Kitt soon. You can stay up to date on all our coverage of
