Monday, Feb 03, 2025 • Katherine Egan Bennett : contact

Daniel Armstrong, the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Professor in Chemistry at The University of Texas at Arlington, will be presented with the 2025 Pittcon Analytical Chemistry Award for his significant contributions to the field of analytical chemistry.

Dr. Armstrong will receive this international honor during the Pittcon Conference and Exposition in Boston on March 4. Armstrong is being recognized for his research and development of methods and substances for studying molecular structures, analyzing chemical reactions, separating microorganisms and understanding various analytical chemistry mechanisms.

“It is a singular distinction to win this award that encompasses such a broad and important area of science,” Armstrong said. “I am happiest to be meeting once again with many of my former students and colleagues whose exceptional work and dedication contributed to the research that is being recognized.”

Armstrong has more than 35 years of experience in the field of chiral recognition, chemical separations and their biological relevance. He is regularly cited as one of the most influential scientists in the field of analytical chemistry.

His research focuses on new approaches in identifying chiral disease biomarkers, peptide epimers and isotopic compounds. His recent work includes research on mirror-image chemicals called cyclodextrins that are paving the way for complex medications to be delivered to patients more easily. Armstrong has also published research on detecting disease biomarkers and how to make chromatography—a common test used in everything from performance-enhancing drug detection to crime-scene analysis—more environmentally friendly.

In December, a molecule created by Armstrong and his lab—α⁠-⁠ʟ⁠-⁠cyclodextrin—was named molecule of the year by the readers of Chemical & Engineering News, a publication of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The mirror-image cyclodextrin molecule developed by Armstrong’s team has potential applications in drug delivery, materials science and biotechnology.

“Professor Dan Armstrong is an exceptional scholar and a leading figure in the field of analytical chemistry,” said Rasika Dias, professor and chair of the UTA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “Awarding him this prestigious honor is an obvious and well-deserved choice by the selection committee.”

Armstrong has done groundbreaking work in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a technique used to separate compounds in a chemical mixture, and gas chromatography (GC), a group of analytical separation techniques used to analyze volatile substances in the gas phase. More than 30 different techniques were originally developed in Armstrong’s laboratories during his career have been commercialized and/or copied worldwide.

Armstrong is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the Royal Society of Chemistry. He has received numerous awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the publication LCGC, the Wilfred T. Doherty Research and Service Award from the DFW section of ACS, the Dal Nogare Award for Separation Science from LCGC North America, and the ACS Award in Chromatography.

-Greg Pederson, College of Science