Oh, the Places We Went! Top Spectroscopy Conferences and Insights from 2025

In 2025, one of our major goals was to broaden our coverage of analytical spectroscopy. And the year certainly offered plenty to explore. From San Francisco to cities across Europe, key conferences brought together the global spectroscopy community to discuss emerging trends, compare techniques, and share real-world applications. Through interviews with researchers and industry leaders, we also gained fresh perspectives on how spectroscopy continues to shape fields ranging from photonics and food analysis to biopharmaceutical development.

In this article, we take a step back and look across the year in spectroscopy—revisiting the conversations, innovations, and developments that helped move the field forward in 2025.

Photonics West

We begin our journey in the Bay Area. San Francisco, California, is a major focal point in the tech industry, serving as part of the Silicon Valley area that is driving technological innovation globally. In January, the annual SPIE Photonics West Conference took place, where the latest trends and innovations in optics and photonics took center stage (1).

The conference revolved around three main tracks, focusing on biomedical optics, laser technologies, and optoelectronics, while also featuring networking opportunities, startup pitch competitions, and professional development programs. Some of the highlights from this conference included a keynote from Mei X. Wu of Harvard Medical School. Wu discussed the latest advancements in photodynamic therapy using bacteria-specific pro-photosensitizers that can selectively target and destroy multidrug-resistant bacteria without harming mammalian cells (2,3).

Wu’s research introduced two new classes of pro-photosensitizers (pro-PS): one that increased singlet oxygen production in bacteria and another that enhanced bacteria-specific porphyrin biosynthesis, offering a highly targeted, non-antibiotic approach to eliminate even biofilms and persister cells (2,3).

Another important keynote talk was delivered by Pietro Ferraro, who discussed how Fourier ptychographic microscopy, a label-free imaging technique that combines low NA objectives with angled illumination to achieve high-resolution, multi-scale imaging for biomedical diagnostics and environmental monitoring.

The rise of artificial intelligence in photonics was also addressed. Juergen Popp, the scientific director at the Leibniz Institute for Photonics Technology, delivered a talk titled “Biophotonics Meets AI: Transforming Cancer and Infection Diagnostics,” that discussed this topic, highlighting how label-free spectroscopic approaches can improve tumor margin control.

“Second harmonic generation together with two photon fluorescence allows us to analyze the tumor tissue in real time without any need of a dye or a contrast agent. and this means that surgeons get direct highly precise information about the tumor margins,” Popp said (4).

AAFS

Continuing our journey, we go from the west coast to the east coast. In the month of February, Spectroscopy covered the American Association of Forensic Science (AAFS) Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. This was the first time we covered this show, highlighting our commitment to serving our audience with new, practical information relating to how spectroscopy is being used in various application areas, such as forensic science.

Our editors spoke with three experts in forensic science––Tom Metz of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Heidi Eldridge of George Washington University, and Claire Glynn of the University of New Haven. All three delivered talks at the conference and reported back on the key highlights from AAFS 2025.

Metz highlighted how spectroscopy is being used often to improve molecular measurement.

“It was very interesting to see where forensic science is deploying molecular measurement capabilities, whether they be mass spectrometry which is what my career has been devoted to for the last 20 plus years, as well as other spectroscopies that might work really well under certain operating conditions and certain sample types and for certain types of molecules,” Metz said in an interview with Spectroscopy (5).

Eldridge, meanwhile, discussed how the talks given at AAFS addressed two themes: one surrounding the use of AI in the field, and the other on communicating forensic findings more effectively.

“There were a lot of really great talks this year that I enjoyed going to,” Eldridge said to Spectroscopy (5). “It seems like there was a maybe an unofficial theme the official theme had to do with AI, but I saw a lot of talks that seemed to center around communicating forensic findings implementing standards calculating and expressing error rates.”

Finally, Glynn highlighted how AAFS showcases an opportunity for graduate students to make connections and present their own research, allowing them the opportunity to put themselves out there in an environment conducive to collaboration.

“It’s really such a terrific opportunity for our students at the University of New Haven, both undergraduate and graduate, to showcase their research and to also get excited about their future careers,” Glynn said to Spectroscopy (5).

Pittcon

In early March, Spectroscopy traveled north of Boston, Massachusetts, where Pittcon took place this year. Pittcon is an annual conference that highlights the latest trends, advancements, and instrumentation in separation science. Talks related to chromatography, spectroscopy, and allied sciences took place here.

One of those key talks related to how vibrational spectroscopy is being applied in food analysis. Christian Huck, a professor at the University of Innsbruck, delivered a talk titled, “The Near-Infrared and Imaging Spectroscopy in Food and Bioanalysis: Current and Future Directions” (6). In his talk, Huck discussed how techniques like near infrared (NIR), attenuated total reflectance-infrared (ATR-IR), and Raman spectroscopy allow for quick, non-destructive analysis for identifying molecular functional groups and simultaneously assessing chemical properties of food ingredients (6). Huck concluded by highlighting the advantages and limitations of spectroscopy compared to traditional methods, predicting future advances in spectral interpretation and analytical capabilities (6).

“A major trend that is still going on is the miniaturization of spectrometers,” Huck told Spectroscopy at the conference (6). “But at the moment, we see a limitation of individual miniaturized spectrometers due to the selection of light sources, monchromato systems, and detectors. One of the future things will be to develop a new handheld portable device to cover additional wavenumber ranges, better resolution, and so on.”

International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy (ISMS)

The International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy (ISMS), which was held from June 23^rd to 27^th, 2025 (7), focuses on the latest advancements in molecular spectroscopy, with sessions covering aspects such as theory to fundamentals to technologies.

The key highlight of the ISMS Conference is the mini-symposia that take place throughout the week. One of these mini-symposia, titled “Astrochemistry–Laboratory, Computations, and Observations,” detailed how spectroscopy is being used in this space. Brett McGuire, an assistant professor of chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), discussed the importance of spectroscopy in astrochemistry and why it’s such a big focus at ISMS.

“For anything outside our solar system, you can’t go and take samples and bring them back,” McGuire said (8). “You have to use spectroscopy. It’s all about the interaction of light from stars or emitted by matter in the interstellar medium with other matter, and that light transits through space and is collected in our telescope.”

Analytica

Our next conference took us to Columbus, Ohio, where Analytica USA launched its first conference stateside. Analytica is a trade show that originated in Munich, Germany, and it continues to bring in thousands of attendees in Munich when the show is hosted.

This conference comprised of several components that made it appealing for spectroscopists and analytical scientists. It combined a large exhibition with a multidisciplinary scientific conference that highlights developments in Raman, infrared (IR), UV-Vis, mass spectrometry (MS), and hyphenated techniques (9).

A key program feature was the session, “Proteomics & Imaging in One Health,” where Albert Sickmann of ISAS and Amanda Hummon of Ohio State University discussed the convergence of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS)-based proteomics and imaging MS (IMS) in health-related research (9). Analytica USA is a conference designed to provide exhibitors with valuable exposure to North American laboratories, with additional sessions on spectral instrumentation and applied research cementing the conference program as one that tackles topics spectroscopists were interested in.

SciX

In early October, we traveled to Covington, Kentucky, to cover the annual SciX Conference, which is one of our biggest shows of the year for analytical spectroscopy. At this conference, we presented our Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy award to Lingyan Shi, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego (10).

Shi is a biomedical imaging researcher who develops advanced molecular imaging platforms to study metabolic activity in biological tissues. Her work integrates SRS, MPF, FLIM, and SHG microscopy to enable high-resolution, chemically specific imaging in situ (10). She is known for identifying the “Golden Window” for deep-tissue optical imaging and for pioneering deuterium-based metabolic imaging to visualize newly synthesized macromolecules using SRS vibrational signatures (10). At UC San Diego, her lab continues to advance SRS microscopy and computational imaging tools to investigate disease progression, therapeutic response, and metabolic regulation (10).

Apart from presenting Shi with the Emerging Leader Award, we also hosted a celebratory dinner at Marigold Restaurant in downtown Cincinnati in honor of Shi receiving the Emerging Leader Award.

This was our biggest show for Spectroscopy, as we had the opportunity to interview 13 researchers––Lingyan Shi of the University of California, San Diego; Prashant Jain of the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign; Steven Bell of Queen’s University Belfast; Yingchan Guo of the University of Florida; Zac Schultz of The Ohio State University; Spencer Witte of The Ohio State University; Nishadi Liyanage of The Ohio State University; Renee Romano of The Ohio State University; Rohith Reddy of the University of Houston; Rob Lascola of Savannah River National Laboratory; Fay Nicolson of Dana-Farber Medical Center and Harvard Medical School; Karl Booksh of the University of Delaware; and Rafael Davalos of Georgia Tech.

This large pool of interviews is a testament to the breadth of the SciX Conference program, which is the main reason why this conference is unique.

“The SciX Conference is great; I enjoy it every year,” Schultz said to Spectroscopy (11). “It’s on the ‘don’t miss’ part of my calendar. Just seeing the excitement keeps you jazzed and wanting to keep coming back and learning new things.”

Eastern Analytical Symposium

Finally, the last conference of the year was located just a short drive from our home office in Plainsboro, New Jersey. The Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) brought together analytical scientists to celebrate the latest innovation, and research, in the space.

The recent coverage of the Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) in highlights how the event spanned everything from pedagogy to cutting-edge research and instrument design. At EAS, Penn State’s Zachary Rhoden shared his hands-on, peer-mentored model for training large numbers of future analytical chemists (12). Geraldine Richmond was honored with the NYSAS Gold Medal for her pioneering nonlinear optical work (VSFG, VSFSS) probing molecular behavior at liquid interfaces, with clear implications for environmental chemistry and drug delivery (13). Moreover, Metrohm’s Adam Hopkins pushed for a “fit-for-purpose” philosophy in spectroscopy, arguing that usability, robustness, and real-world relevance often trump maximal precision in industrial tools (14). In structural biology, Lewis Kay made the case that NMR remains indispensable in the post–AlphaFold era, uniquely revealing molecular motion and dynamics via innovations like isotope labeling and “spin alchemy" (15). Finally, Karl Booksh was awarded for his achievements in chemometrics, especially for leveraging machine learning with portable spectroscopic sensors (SPR, Raman, fluorescence) to make advanced analysis accessible outside the laboratory (16).

Looking Ahead to 2026

Throughout 2025, we traveled to different corners of the U.S., meeting and chatting with experts whose work spans a wide range of scientific disciplines. Do you know of a conference we shouldn’t miss in the year ahead? Share your recommendations with us—we’d love to hear from you and continue exploring the cutting edge of spectroscopy together!

References

1. Wetzel, W. Photonics West: Previewing the Spectroscopy Keynote Sessions. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/photonics-west-previewing-the-spectroscopy-keynote-sessions (accessed 2025-11-14).
2. Wetzel, W. Previewing Photonics West Keynote Sessions on Phototherapy and Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/previewing-photonics-west-keynote-sessions-on-phototherapy-and-fourier-ptychographic-microscopy (accessed 2025-11-14).
3. Acevedo, A. Photonics West Keynotes Highlight Advances in Vibrational Circular Dichroism, Quantum Cascade Lasers, and More. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/photonics-west-keynotes-highlight-advances-in-vibrational-circular-dichroism-quantum-cascade-lasers-and-more (accessed 2025-11-14).
4. Wetzel, W. Enhancing Tumor Classification with AI and Raman: A Conversation with Juergen Popp. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/enhancing-tumor-classification-with-ai-and-raman-a-conversation-with-juergen-popp (accessed 2025-11-14).
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6. Wetzel, W. Advancing NIR and Imaging Spectroscopy in Food and Bioanalysis. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/advancing-nir-and-imaging-spectroscopy-in-food-bioanalysis (accessed 2025-11-15).
7. Wetzel, W. Previewing the 78^th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/previewing-the-78th-international-symposium-on-molecular-spectroscopy (accessed 2025-11-15).
8. Wetzel, W. Previewing the Astrochemistry Mini-Symposia at the International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/previewing-the-astrochemistry-mini-symposia-at-the-international-symposium-on-molecular-spectroscopy (accessed 2025-11-18).
9. Hroncich, C. Analytica USA Arrives in Columbus. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/analytica-usa-arrives-in-columbus (accessed 2025-11-18).
10. Workman, Jr., J. The 2025 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy: Lingyan Shi of the University of California, San Diego. Spectroscopy 2025, 40 (7), 20–25. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/the-2025-emerging-leader-in-molecular-spectroscopy-lingyan-shi-of-the-university-of-california-san-diego
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13. Hroncich, C. Geraldine Richmond Honored at EAS for Pioneering Research in Molecular Interfaces. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/geraldine-richmond-nysas-gold-medal-molecular-interfaces (accessed 2025-11-24).
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16. Wetzel, W. EAS 2025: Karl Booksh Wins EAS Award for Outstanding Achievements in Chemometrics. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/eas-2025-karl-booksh-wins-eas-award-for-outstanding-achievements-in-chemometrics (accessed 2025-11-21).