Benjamin Manard, an analytical chemist in the Chemical Sciences Division of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been selected for the 2023 Emerging Investigator Lectureship from the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry. JAAS is a publication of the Royal Society of Chemistry that shares innovative research on the fundamental theory and application of spectrometric techniques. Manard is the first winner of this award from a Department of Energy lab.
The honor recognizes an early career researcher who has made a significant contribution in atomic spectrometry within 10 years of their doctorate. The editorial board of JAAS invites the winner to present their research at a high-profile international meeting. Manard will deliver his lecture at the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectroscopy in Arizona in January 2024.
An expert in trace elemental analysis of nuclear materials, Manard works at ORNL’s Ultra-Trace Forensic Science Center, which is a state-of-the-art facility for mass spectrometry, and in ORNL’s Chemical and Isotopic Mass Spectrometry group. He aims to improve trace element and isotopic analysis methodologies and sample introduction platforms in plasma-based spectroscopic and mass spectrometric techniques.
After earning his doctorate in analytical chemistry from Clemson University, Manard completed a Glenn T. Seaborg postdoctoral research fellowship at Los Alamos National Laboratory and served as a staff scientist at LANL. He joined ORNL in 2018.
Manard has authored more than 50 journal articles and a book chapter. His work has been featured on nine journal covers. Moreover, he is on the governing board of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy and the editorial board of the journal Applied Spectroscopy Practica. His recent honors include DOE’s Secretary of Energy Achievement Award in 2021 and being named to the 2022 “Top 40 Under 40 Power List” of The Analytical Scientist.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. – Dawn Levy
