The Peter Griffiths Award, named for the legendary infrared spectroscopist, recognizes the best paper published annually in Applied Spectroscopy Practica. Its inaugural recipients, Sara Fraser-Miller and coauthors, will be honored at SciX 2026, and the journal is now accepting 2026 submissions for the third award.
The Peter Griffiths Award is named in honor of legendary spectroscopist and Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) member, Peter R. Griffiths. This new annual award is presented to the authors of the best paper published annually in Applied Spectroscopy Practica, the international peer-reviewed open-access journal published by SAS as a sister journal to Applied Spectroscopy. The launch of this award was made possible through the generous financial support of the Shimadzu Corporation, Peter Griffiths, and others, ensuring the award’s longevity within the suite of impactful SAS awards for many years to come. The award consists of a plaque, an honorarium, and one-year membership in SAS.
Considering Peter’s many years of dedicated service to SAS including serving as its President (1994) and his 30+ years as Applied Spectroscopy Associate Editor (1981-2009), Editor-in-Chief (2009-2012), and Editor (2012-2018), there was no one more deserving of an award named in their honor. Peter’s broad research themes from forensics to food analysis and much of that work’s emphasis on more practical and often industry-focused applications made for an easy choice and helps reinforce Practica’s emphasis on solving real-world problems through spectroscopy. For a more detailed description of Peter Griffiths’ career and achievements, refer to the February 2024 Icons of Spectroscopy feature article.1,2
All papers published in Practica in a calendar year are considered for the Peter Griffiths Award. The award selection committee consists of the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Editors, and other select member(s). Review criteria include alignment with the journal’s aims and scope, scientific rigor, scientific novelty, and potential impact. The first recipients of the award, announced earlier this year, were Dr. Sara Fraser-Miller, Flinders University, Australia, and co-authors Mitchell C. Chalmers, Teemu Tomberg, and Keith Gordon for their paper
To learn more about Applied Spectroscopy Practica, consult the
(1) Workman, J. Peter Griffiths: Icons of Spectroscopy. Spectroscopy, 2024, 39(2), 32-25. Available at
(2) Workman, J., Jr. Peter R. Griffiths (1942–2026): A Life Devoted to Infrared and Vibrational Spectroscopy. Spectroscopy, 2026, 41, August 31.
(3) Chalmers, M.C.; Tomberg, T.; Gordon, K.C.; Fraser-Miller, S.J. Discriminating Model Microcalcifications Immersed and Under Varying Depths of Wax Using Deep Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy. Applied Spectroscopy Practica, 2024, 2(4).
