Peter R. Griffiths (1942–2026): A Life Devoted to Infrared and Vibrational Spectroscopy

Peter R. Griffiths, one of the most influential figures in modern infrared and vibrational spectroscopy, died on August 29, 2026 at the age of 84. His passing marks the end of a remarkable scientific career that helped establish Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy as one of the most versatile and widely used analytical techniques in chemistry. For more than five decades, Griffiths combined fundamental spectroscopy, instrumentation, analytical methodology, education, scientific publishing, and professional leadership, leaving an influence that extends well beyond his more than 300 scientific publications and numerous books.

Born in England, Griffiths spent the first 25 years of his life there before moving to the United States for postdoctoral research. He earned a B.A. from the University of Oxford in 1964 and a D.Phil. in physical chemistry from Oxford in 1967.¹ His doctoral education placed him in the exceptionally productive environment of Oxford spectroscopy during a period when infrared spectroscopy was undergoing profound technological change. After receiving his doctorate, he moved to the United States, where from 1967 to 1969 he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland under Ellis R. Lippincott, one of the leading figures in molecular spectroscopy.^1,2 That association proved particularly important to Griffiths and remained a source of professional and personal pride throughout his career.

Griffiths later recalled that his relationship with Lippincott had begun during his graduate years at Oxford, where Lippincott and Richard Lord were among the distinguished scientists visiting the laboratory. At one point, Griffiths and fellow Oxford researcher Roger Lake were invited to play croquet with Lord and Lippincott. A year later, Lake became a postdoctoral researcher in Lord's laboratory at MIT, while Griffiths joined Lippincott's laboratory at the University of Maryland. Griffiths subsequently described observing Lippincott as a formative experience in learning how a successful scientist conducted himself.² Decades later, this connection became especially poignant when Griffiths received the Ellis R. Lippincott Award in 2023. He observed that he believed he was the only recipient of the award who had actually worked in Lippincott's laboratory.²

His early professional career was notable in that it combined academic science with direct involvement in the rapidly developing commercial FT-IR industry. Following his postdoctoral work, Griffiths held positions with Digilab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Sadtler Research Laboratories in Philadelphia.¹ Digilab was particularly significant because Griffiths became involved with the development of early commercial FT-IR instrumentation. His later historical account of the early commercial development of FT-IR spectroscopy provides a valuable first-person record of the technological transition that occurred during the 1960s and 1970s.³

In 1972, Griffiths joined the faculty of Ohio University, where he rapidly established himself as a leading researcher and teacher. He was named a Distinguished Professor in 1980, an unusually early recognition of his accomplishments.⁴ During this period he became deeply involved in the development and application of FT-IR spectroscopy and in the broader effort to make Fourier transform methods practical analytical tools.

One of his earliest major contributions was his 1975 book Chemical Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy.⁵ At a time when FT-IR was still emerging as a commercial analytical technology, the book helped provide chemists with a systematic treatment of the principles and applications of the technique. It was followed in 1978 by Transform Techniques in Chemistry, which Griffiths edited.⁶ These works established a pattern that would continue throughout his career: Griffiths was not merely a researcher publishing individual papers, but also an educator and synthesizer of knowledge who sought to make emerging spectroscopic technology accessible to practicing scientists.

His scientific influence expanded considerably through his research on sampling methods and interfaces between spectroscopy and separation science. One notable contribution involved diffuse-reflectance infrared spectroscopy. Griffiths and Michael P. Fuller published their influential study of diffuse-reflectance measurements by infrared Fourier transform spectrometry in Analytical Chemistry in 1978.⁷ The work became part of the foundation for the practical application of FT-IR to powders, solids, and other samples that could not conveniently be examined by conventional transmission methods.

Griffiths also became a major contributor to the development of hyphenated analytical techniques. His research group investigated interfaces between FT-IR spectrometers and gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and supercritical-fluid chromatography.^8,9 These studies helped demonstrate that infrared spectroscopy could serve not simply as a stand-alone identification technique but as a powerful detector integrated with separation methods.

His work extended into atmospheric measurements as well. Griffiths and his collaborators developed methods for open-path FT-IR spectroscopy, allowing infrared measurements to be made over extended atmospheric paths rather than in conventional laboratory cells. Subsequent work addressed automation and data-processing problems that had limited broader application of open-path systems.¹⁰ This research exemplified a characteristic feature of Griffiths's scientific career: he frequently took techniques that were technically promising but operationally difficult and worked toward making them practical.

The breadth of his research was considerable. His publications addressed FT-IR instrumentation, diffuse reflectance, gas chromatography/infrared interfaces, atmospheric monitoring, Raman spectroscopy, near-infrared spectroscopy, spectral interpretation, quantitative analysis, and other aspects of vibrational spectroscopy. His later work continued well beyond his formal academic retirement. In 2018, for example, he published a study examining the unusually broad infrared bands of oxyanion salts, demonstrating that his scientific curiosity and involvement with spectroscopy remained active decades after his first publications.¹¹

Griffiths was also a remarkably productive scientific author. By the time of his later career, he had authored or coauthored more than 300 refereed papers and had written, coauthored, or edited numerous books and book chapters.^1,2 His most famous book was Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry, written with James A. de Haseth. The second edition, published in 2007, became a standard reference for students, researchers, and practicing analytical chemists.¹² Wiley described the book as a practical reference covering theory, instrumentation, sampling techniques, and applications of modern FT-IR spectrometry.¹²

The influence of that book was particularly deep. Rohit Bhargava of the University of Illinois described it as essentially the “Bible” for students in his research group, and noted that a copy was placed in the university library with a commemorative plaque recognizing its transformative influence.² Such testimony illustrates why Griffiths's legacy cannot be measured simply by publication counts. His books became part of the intellectual infrastructure through which generations of scientists learned FT-IR spectroscopy.

Perhaps even more ambitious was the five-volume Handbook of Vibrational Spectroscopy, edited by Griffiths and John M. Chalmers.¹³ Published in 2006, the handbook comprised 46 sections, 239 chapters, approximately 350 contributing authors from 250 institutions, and more than 3,500 pages.² It represented an enormous effort to organize the accumulated knowledge of infrared, Raman, and related vibrational spectroscopies. The handbook became an important reference work for researchers and helped define the breadth of modern vibrational spectroscopy.

Griffiths's influence was equally evident in education. For more than 30 years, he participated in week-long courses devoted to interpretation of infrared and Raman spectra.¹ He was known not only for his command of the subject but also for his ability to communicate practical spectroscopy to students and experienced scientists. His teaching and mentoring affected generations of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and industrial scientists. Andrew Weakley, one of his former students and collaborators, credited Griffiths with having a major influence on his career and professional development.²

After his years at Ohio University, Griffiths moved to the University of California, Riverside, and subsequently accepted the chairmanship of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Idaho.¹ He joined Idaho in 1989 and served as department chair for eight years.¹⁴ He retired from the University of Idaho in 2008 as Professor and Chair Emeritus.¹ He subsequently maintained professional associations with spectroscopy and continued publishing and consulting. He was also associated with the University of Utah as an adjunct professor.²

The University of Idaho recognized Griffiths's extraordinary accomplishments with its Honorary Doctor of Science degree in 2018. The university's commencement materials described him as a driving force in his field for four decades and emphasized the continuing influence of his FT-IR textbook and his continuing publication record after retirement.¹⁵

His honors were extensive and international. Among them were the Coblentz Award in Molecular Spectroscopy in 1977, the Distinguished Professor designation at Ohio University, the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh Award, the New York Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy Gold Medal, the Fritz Pregl Medal of the Austrian Society for Analytical Chemistry, the University of Idaho Award for Excellence in Research or Creative Activity, Honorary Membership in the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, the Bomem-Michelson Award in Molecular Spectroscopy, the Gerald S. Birth Award for Outstanding Work in Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, the University of Idaho College of Science Distinguished Faculty Award, an Alexander von Humboldt Senior Research Fellowship, an Erskine Fellowship at the University of Canterbury, and the Anachem Award in Analytical Spectroscopy.² The Coblentz Society records Griffiths as its 1977 Coblentz Award recipient, placing him among the major molecular spectroscopists recognized by that organization.¹⁶

His professional service was equally substantial. Griffiths served as president of both the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy.² He served the journal Applied Spectroscopy for more than three decades, first as an Associate Editor from 1981 to 2009, then as Editor-in-Chief from 2009 to 2012, and finally as Editor from 2012 to 2018.² He also served on the editorial boards of numerous journals in analytical chemistry and spectroscopy. This long editorial career gave him an unusual role in shaping not only the research itself but also the standards by which spectroscopic research was communicated and evaluated.

His influence extended into near-infrared spectroscopy as well. In 2004 he received the first Gerald S. Birth Award for work developing a procedure for calibrating a wavelength standard across the near-infrared region with substantially improved accuracy.² In a 2011 interview, he discussed the evolution of NIR spectroscopy and explained that, following the work recognized by the Birth Award, his research interests had shifted away from conventional NIR research toward wavelength standards and related issues.¹⁷ The interview provides a useful glimpse into Griffiths's continuing willingness to examine the limitations of established analytical practice and pursue problems where improved standards could benefit the field.

His career came full circle in 2023 when he received the Ellis R. Lippincott Award in Molecular Spectroscopy, one of the field's most distinguished honors. The Coblentz Society described the award as recognizing Griffiths for his “unique achievements and significant contributions to vibrational spectroscopy.”¹⁸ The award was especially meaningful because of his early postdoctoral association with Lippincott. At age 81, Griffiths described the honor as tremendously gratifying personally, even though he had been retired from the university for more than 15 years.²

The following year, Optica elected Griffiths a 2024 Fellow, recognizing him for “unique achievements and significant contributions to vibrational spectroscopy.”¹,¹⁹ The honor provided a final major professional recognition of a career that had bridged chemistry, spectroscopy, instrumentation, education, publishing, and scientific leadership.

Griffiths's legacy is therefore larger than any single invention, paper, or textbook. He belonged to a generation of scientists who helped transform infrared spectroscopy from an increasingly sophisticated physical measurement into a practical analytical technology used across chemistry, materials science, environmental analysis, pharmaceuticals, industrial process monitoring, and numerous other fields. His contributions to FT-IR were simultaneously technological and intellectual: he helped develop instrumentation and interfaces, investigated sampling strategies, demonstrated new applications, explained the underlying principles, trained users, edited reference works, and helped establish standards for the field.

His career also represents an important bridge between generations of spectroscopists. Griffiths learned from figures such as Ellis Lippincott and Richard Lord during the formative period of modern molecular spectroscopy. He subsequently became a mentor and teacher to scientists who carried vibrational spectroscopy into new areas of analytical science. Through his books, particularly Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry and the Handbook of Vibrational Spectroscopy, his influence reached far beyond the students and colleagues with whom he worked directly.

For those who knew Peter Griffiths personally, however, his legacy was not confined to publications and awards. His willingness to teach, advise, consult, edit, and engage with the spectroscopy community made him a continuing presence in the professional lives of many scientists. The testimony of former students illustrates that influence particularly well.² His scientific career demonstrated that expertise is most valuable when it is shared.

Peter R. Griffiths leaves behind a body of work that will continue to educate and guide spectroscopists. The instruments and techniques he helped advance have become routine, but their routine status is itself part of his achievement. Technologies that once required explanation, experimentation, and advocacy became standard tools of analytical chemistry. His books remain reference points; his papers remain part of the technical literature; his students and collaborators carry his influence forward; and the professional societies and journals with which he was associated retain the imprint of his leadership.

The history of modern infrared spectroscopy cannot be written without Peter R. Griffiths. From the early commercial development of FT-IR through diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy, chromatographic interfaces, open-path atmospheric measurements, Raman and near-infrared applications, spectral interpretation, and the education of successive generations of scientists, he was both participant and chronicler of the field's evolution.

His scientific life was, in the fullest sense, a life devoted to spectroscopy.

References

(1) Optica. Peter Griffiths—Biography, Awards & Distinctions. Optica, updated December 3, 2024. https://www.optica.org/History/Biographies/bios/Peter_Griffiths/

(2) Workman, J., Jr. Peter Griffiths: Icon of Infrared Spectroscopy. Spectroscopy 2024, 39 (2), 32–35. DOI: 10.56530/spectroscopy.zb2875c7.

(3) Griffiths, P. R. The Early Days of Commercial FT-IR Spectrometry: A Personal Perspective. Appl. Spectrosc. 2017, 71 (3), 329–340. DOI: 10.1177/0003702816683529.

(4) University of Idaho. Honorary Degrees: Peter Griffiths. University of Idaho Commencement, 2018. University of Idaho 2018 Commencement

(5) Griffiths, P. R. Chemical Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy; Wiley-Interscience: New York, 1975. Bibliographic record

(6) Griffiths, P. R., Ed. Transform Techniques in Chemistry; Springer: New York, 1978. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4684-2403-4

(7) Fuller, M. P.; Griffiths, P. R. Diffuse Reflectance Measurements by Infrared Fourier Transform Spectrometry. Anal. Chem. 1978, 50 (13), 1906–1910. DOI: 10.1021/ac50035a045

(8) Shafer, K. H.; Pentoney, S. L.; Griffiths, P. R. Supercritical Fluid Chromatography/Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry with an Automatic Diffuse Reflectance Interface. Anal. Chem. 1986, 58 (1), 58–64. DOI: 10.1021/ac00292a015

(9) Griffiths, P. R.; Heaps, D. A.; Brejna, P. R. The Gas Chromatography/Infrared Interface: Past, Present, and Future. Appl. Spectrosc. 2008, 62 (10), 259A–270A. DOI: 10.1366/000370208786049213

(10) Griffiths, P. R.; Shao, L.; Leytem, A. B. Completely Automated Open-Path FT-IR Spectrometry. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2009, 393 (1), 45–50. DOI: 10.1007/s00216-008-2429-6

(11) Griffiths, P. R.; Fries, B. E.; Weakley, A. T. On the Widths of Bands in the Infrared Spectra of Oxyanions. Appl. Spectrosc. 2018, 72 (6), 863–869. DOI: 10.1177/0003702818764446

(12) Griffiths, P. R.; de Haseth, J. A. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry, 2nd ed.; Wiley-Interscience: Hoboken, NJ, 2007. DOI: 10.1002/047010631X

(13) Chalmers, J. M.; Griffiths, P. R., Eds. Handbook of Vibrational Spectroscopy, Vols. 1–5; John Wiley & Sons: Chichester, U.K., 2006. DOI: 10.1002/0470027320

(14) University of Idaho. Peter Griffiths, Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Chemistry. University of Idaho. University of Idaho 2018 Commencement

(15) University of Idaho. 2018 Commencement, Honorary Degrees, p 10; University of Idaho: Moscow, ID, 2018. University of Idaho Commencement PDF

(16) Coblentz Society. Coblentz Award—Molecular Spectroscopy: Award Recipients. The Coblentz Society. Coblentz Award Recipient List

(17) Spectroscopy. Peter Griffiths on NIR, Mid-IR, and Raman. Spectroscopy Online, June 20, 2011. Peter Griffiths on NIR, Mid-IR, and Raman

(18) Coblentz Society. Ellis R. Lippincott Award: 2023 Recipient, Peter Griffiths. The Coblentz Society. 2023 Lippincott Award—Peter Griffiths

(19) Optica. Optica Announces 2024 Fellows Class. October 30, 2023. Optica Announces 2024 Fellows Class

(20) New York/New Jersey Section, Society for Applied Spectroscopy. Gold Medal Award Program: Past Winners. Peter Griffiths, 1995. NYSAS Gold Medal Award Program

(21) Royal Society of Chemistry. FACSS Award Winners Announced: Professor Peter Griffiths, 2012 ANACHEM Award. Analyst Blog, January 17, 2012. 2012 ANACHEM Award Announcement

(22) Workman, J., Jr. Featured Biographies for the Icons of Spectroscopy Laureate Series. Spectroscopy Online, 2025. Featured Biographies for the Icons of Spectroscopy Laureate Series