Fellows Award

Fellows Award: This award is established to recognize individual members for their outstanding achievements in and contributions to the science, the profession, and the Society. Up to 12 Fellows per year may be selected. Nomination for the award of Fellow must be made by current Society Fellows, the Executive Committee, the Governing Board, or the Fellows Committee. The Fellows Committee shall review all nominations and shall forward the award slate to the Society's Executive Committee for final approval. Fellows must continue to be members in good standing of the Society in order to maintain Fellow status. Nomination material should include a letter of recommendation with supporting documentation regarding the nominee's contributions to the Society and spectroscopy, a current CV, and a short bio. 

2026

The 2026 Fellow Recipients are:

Benjamin T Manard, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, USA
Benjamin T. Manard is a Senior Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where he leads the Chemical and Isotopic Mass Spectrometry Group. An internationally recognized leader in atomic spectrometry and analytical chemistry, he advances the development and application of cutting-edge mass spectrometric and spectroscopic techniques for nuclear materials analysis. His research addresses complex challenges spanning national security, energy security, environmental stewardship, and the biological sciences.

Manard has authored or co-authored more than 90 peer-reviewed publications and is widely regarded for strengthening the role of atomic spectrometry in radiochemical science and nuclear materials characterization. He serves as Editor of Applied Spectroscopy, is a member of the Advisory Board of the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, and serves as Vice-President of the International Atomic Spectrometry Association, reflecting his leadership and service to the international analytical chemistry community.

His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Spectroscopy Magazine Emerging Leader in Atomic Spectroscopy Award, the Society for Applied Spectroscopy Lester Strock Award, the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy Emerging Investigator Lectureship, inclusion on The Analytical Scientist Power List: Top 40 Under 40, and the U.S. Department of Energy Secretary’s Honor Award.

Carol Korzeniewski, Texas Tech University, TX, USA
Carol Korzeniewski is a Professor of Chemistry at Texas Tech University. Her research focuses on applications of infrared and Raman spectroscopy with emphasis on supporting advances in electrochemistry and the study of liquid-solid interfaces. Practical areas of interest include electrocatalysis, polymer membrane and thin film characterization and in-situ method development. Her laboratory has expertise in understanding the vibrational coupling effects that complicate the quantitative interpretation of infrared reflectance spectra recorded from molecular adlayers on electrode surfaces that have a mixture of structural sites (high index single crystal planes and nanoscale catalysts), or different types of metal sites (alloys and surface-modified materials). Her group has extended infrared spectroscopy to studies of ion-conductive membranes with interest in materials that serve as anode/cathode separation media in electrochemical cells and as protective, analyte-selective coatings on chemical sensors. Confocal Raman microscopy is a recent addition, where the confocal probe volume serves as a fixed volume reservoir for detecting changes in material composition and membrane matrix expansion/contraction. She received B.S. (Oakland University) and Ph.D. (University of Utah) degrees in Chemistry and did postdoctoral research at the University of Texas working in the field of surface chemistry with emphasis on surface sensitive optical measurements. 

C Derrick Quarles Jr, Elemental Scientific, Inc., GA, USA
C Derrick Quarles Jr is a Senior Scientist and Product Manager at Elemental Scientific, Inc. His research focuses across a broad range of areas including elemental speciation, clinical applications, single particle- and single cell-ICPMS, LA-ICPMS, and LIBS. He received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Clemson University under the supervision of Prof Ken Marcus and Bachelor of Science from Augusta University. He spent time as a guest researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. After completing his Ph.D., he was a postdoc for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Inorganic and Radiation Analytical Toxicology Branch. He has 60+ peer-reviewed publications, is an associate editor for Applied Spectroscopy Practica, and serves on the advisory board for the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry (JAAS). He has been the Atomic Section chair for SciX since 2019 and is the President/Founder of the International Atomic Spectrometry Association (IASA) that was created in 2024 which host and organizes the US Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry.

Suresh Kumar Kailasa, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology Surat, Gujrat, India
Suresh Kumar Kailasa, FRSC, is a Professor & the Chair of the Department of Chemistry at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology Surat, Gujrat, India. He obtained Master of Science in Chemistry of Natural Products from Sri Krishnadeveraya University, Andhra Pradesh, India and PhD in Chemistry from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. He completed two Postdoctoral Fellowships at Chonbuk University, South Korea and at National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan. He received Young Scientist Award from Taiwan Mass Spectrometry Society in 2013. He worked as a Visiting Scientist at Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan. He was Visiting Research Professor, Research Professor and Biranpool Scientist at Department of Chemistry, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea. He was selected as a Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, UK and Fellow of the Society of Pesticide Science India in 2019. He was also selected as a life member of the National Academy of Sciences, India. He acted as Guest Editor in the special issues in Applied Sciences, Materials Today Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Communications and Environmental Science and Pollution Research. He is acting as an Advisory Board Member in Sensors and Diagnostics (RSC Publications) and Applied Spectroscopy Practica. He is the author of 303 peer-reviewed papers and written 06 edited books in nanomaterials and spectroscopy. He has a h-index of 68 and accumulated over 15780 citations. Kailasa’s research focuses on the design and synthesis of functional nanomaterials and their integration with spectroscopic techniques for chemical analysis. His research interest in the field of analytical chemistry, MALDI-MS, ESI-MS, microextraction, nanosensors, drug delivery, functional nanomaterials for the development of new analytical strategies.

Prof Siva Umapathy, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Prof Siva Umapathy has been a Professor of the Department of Inorganic & Physical chemistry and the Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, from 1990 – 2024, and now continues as a Honorary Professor. He has also been an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham from 2010 to 2022. Umapathy is one of the early demonstrators of the use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques in complex Raman spectral data analyses with particular emphasis towards biomedical diagnosis. Umapathy was the editor of Spectrochimica Acta. A., from 2014 to 2024. He has also been on the editorial boards of numerous high impact journals, such as, Faraday Discussions, Chemical Physics, Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, Journal of Bio-photonics, Nature Scientific Reports, and Frontiers of Physics. Umapathy has over 200 publications in reputed journals and several book chapters to his credit.  In India, he has been recognized with the election of membership to Indian Academy of Science, National Academy of Science in India, and Indian National Science Academy. He has also received the highest scientific honour from the Prime Minister of India, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, in addition to many other national and international awards.

2025

The 2025 Fellow Recipients are:

Dr. George Chan, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CA, USA
George Chan is currently a research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in Berkeley, USA.  He received his B.Sc. and M.Phil. degrees in Chemistry from the University of Hong Kong and earned his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Indiana University under the mentorship of Professor Gary Hieftje, specializing in analytical atomic and plasma spectroscopies for elemental analysis.

Prior to joining Berkeley Lab in 2012, he served as an assistant scientist on the research faculty in the Department of Chemistry at Indiana University.  George’s research focuses on the fundamental properties and diagnostic studies of various analytical plasmas used in spectroscopic analysis, with an emphasis on understanding the mechanisms governing interactions between plasma species, the sample’s chemical matrix, and analyte atomic or molecular systems. In recent years, he has expanded his research to address challenges in nuclear safeguards, applying his expertise in analytical atomic spectroscopy to optical uranium enrichment assays, including laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

George and his colleagues have published more than 75 peer-reviewed scientific papers.  Several of his publications have been recognized with notable honors, including the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS)/North American Society for Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (NASLIBS) Award (2024) and the Elsevier/Spectrochimica Acta Atomic Spectroscopy Award (2004, 2013, 2016, and 2024).  His other accolades include the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Graduate Fellowship (2005), the SAS Graduate Student Award (2006), the Gordon F. Kirkbright Bursary Award (2008), and the Emerging Leader in Atomic Spectroscopy Award (presented by Spectroscopy magazine, 2017).  He currently serves as editor for the review section of Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy.

Professor Jay Kitt, University of Utah, UT, USA

Jay P. Kitt, PhD, MS, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Utah. Dr. Kitt's academic journey at the University of Utah is marked by a PhD in Analytical Chemistry (2016) with a focus on Raman Microscopy, an MS in Biomedical Informatics (2020). His research focuses on the use of vibrational spectroscopy and microspectroscopy to study analytical and biophysical chemistry challenges with significant contributions in understanding liquid/solid interfaces and phospholipid membrane biochemistry. Dr. Kitt has also recently begun a new role, consulting in spectroscopy and chemometrics/cheminformatics.

Dr. Kitt has been recognized as a Fellow of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS), a testament to his impact and dedicated service within the spectroscopy community. In 2024, he received both the SAS Early Career Scientist Award for his accomplishments in spectroscopy and the SAS Distinguished Service Award for his long-standing contributions to the Society, including a re-write of the Society’s bylaws in 2020. His commitment to service within the society is extensive, including serving as Guest Editor for Applied Spectroscopy, as a member of the Publications Committee (2022-Present), the Governing Documents Committee (2020-Present), and as Parliamentarian (2019-Present). He also previously served as an At-large Delegate to the SAS Governing Board and chaired the University of Utah Student Chapter of SAS. These roles, alongside a Presidential Service Award in 2021, underscore his extraordinary dedication to advancing the Society and the field of spectroscopy as a whole.

Prof. Iaon Notingher, University of Nottingham, UK
Ioan graduated in 1998 from Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca (Romania) with a degree in Physics, completed his PhD at London South Bank University (Photophysics Research Group), then postdoctoral research positions at the Imperial College London and Edinburgh University.

He started his academic career as a lecturer in 2006 at the University of Nottingham, where he established the Biophotonics Group, and was appointed full professor in 2015. His research focuses on optical microscopy and spectroscopy techniques for label-free molecular imaging of biomaterials, cells and tissues. His team has developed numerous links with clinicians, cancer research academics, and partnerships with industry. In particular, the selective-sampling Raman spectroscopy techniques developed by Ioan’s group allow fast scanning of tissue specimens and can be applied during cancer surgery to assess surgical margins. Prototypes based on these technologies are currently being investigated in the clinic.

Ioan has supported the Society by at the Scix conferences (established two sessions since 2018) and was awarded the 2024 William F. Meggers Award for the best paper published in the journal Applied Spectroscopy.

Prof. Rohith Reddy, University of Houston, Houston, USA
Dr. Rohith Reddy, Associate Professor at the University of Houston, has been named a Fellow of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) in recognition of his significant contributions to the Society and to the field of Spectroscopy as a whole.

Dr. Reddy currently serves on the Applied Spectroscopy Advisory Board and the SAS Publications Committee. He is a lifetime member of both the Society for Applied Spectroscopy and the Coblentz Society and is the current President-elect of the Coblentz Society. He previously served on the Coblentz Society Board, where he led initiatives to support early-career spectroscopists, and on the SAS Nominations and Meggers Award Committees. He also served as editor of a special issue of Applied Spectroscopy focused on vibrational spectroscopy for disease monitoring. For more than a decade, Dr. Reddy has organized conference sessions on spectroscopy and biomedical imaging at SciX and SPIE Photonics West. A committed faculty mentor, he provides guidance and support to emerging scientists through both SAS and the Coblentz Society, helping shape the next generation of leaders in spectroscopy.

Dr. Reddy received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed his postdoctoral fellowship under Dr. Gary Tearney at Harvard Medical School. His research centers on vibrational spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging for biomedical applications. He has applied these technologies to the diagnosis and study of prostate, breast, bone marrow, and gynecologic cancers, as well as kidney disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. His lab develops novel spectroscopic imaging instruments and advanced data-analysis algorithms to enable high-resolution, spatiotemporal investigation of disease progression in both clinical and research contexts.

Dr. Reddy holds B.Tech. and M.Tech. degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. His numerous accolades include the Applied Spectroscopy William F. Meggers Award (2014), the FACSS Innovation Awards (2012, 2016), the Tomas Hirschfeld Award (2012), the William G. Fateley Student Award (2011), the Coblentz Student Award (2011), the SAS Graduate Student Award (2011), and multiple FACSS Student Poster Awards (2007, 2009, 2011). He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and holds seven U.S. patents.

Prof. Zachary Schultz, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
Zachary D. Schultz, Ph.D., is a professor at The Ohio State University and currently serves as the department’s Vice Chair for Graduate Studies.  Prof. Schultz earned his B.S. degree from the Ohio State University in 2000 and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005. Upon completing his Ph.D., he was awarded a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (USA). Following his postdoctoral training at NIST, Dr. Schultz continued as a research fellow at NIH using vibrational spectroscopy and microscopy to study biomembrane systems. Dr. Schultz began his independent career as an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame in 2009 and was promoted with tenure to associate professor in 2015. In January of 2018, Prof. Schultz moved his research program to Ohio State, where he was promoted to professor in 2022.  Prof. Schultz was recognized as a Cottrell Scholar (2013), elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2019, awarded the Craver Award for applied vibrational spectroscopy from the Coblentz Society (2021), and was named a Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2024). Prof. Schultz is an associated editor for the journal ACS Sensors and is a former president of the Coblentz Society.  Prof. Schultz’s research focuses on developing innovative approaches utilizing the unique interactions between light and nanostructured materials for spectroscopic imaging and ultrasensitive label-free spectroscopic detection.

SAS FELLOWS

*deceased