Local awardee Michael Gross goes national

Michael Gross won the Midwest Award, administered by the Saint Louis Section, in 2002. Now the national ACS has admitted that we got it right. Gross, who is professor of chemistry at Washington University in Saint Louis and professor of immunology and internal medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, has been named the 2018 winner of the ACS Award in Analytical Chemistry. The award is sponsored by Battelle Memorial Institute.

He was cited “for development of mass spectrometry methods that provide insight in physical-organic chemistry, enable environmental protection, offer new approaches in biochemistry and biophysics, and give understanding of human disease.”

Gross received his BA in chemistry from Saint John’s University (Collegeville, Minn.) and his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He cites as his scientific role model “my postdoc mentor, Fred McLafferty, because he has a passion for science and ambition to contribute something important.”

In support of his nomination for the award, Evan R. Williams, University of California, Berkeley, had this to say: “Mike is one of the most recognized leaders in the field of mass spectrometry and analytical chemistry. I have known him for nearly 30 years, and I have been impressed with his productivity, the many students who have come from his lab, his service to the community, and his innovation.”

Our congratulations, Michael, for your further recognition.