Armstrong, Dasgupta named to Analytical Scientist Power List 2015
Two prominent University of Texas at Arlington professors of chemistry and biochemistry, Daniel W. Armstrong and Purnendu “Sandy” Dasgupta, are ranked among the Top 100 most influential people in the world of analytical science by the monthly journal The Analytical Scientist.
The Power List 2015 ranked a Top 20 among noted scientists, executives and consultants from institutions around the world and listed 80 other leading figures in the field. The United Kingdom-based publication’s editorial comprises scientists from the world’s leading institutions. An announcement accompanying the Power List said it “beautifully highlights the brilliance and diversity found within our sometimes undervalued field.”
UTA and UT Austin were the only two Texas universities with representatives on the list, and UTA was the only one with two honorees. The full Power List 2015 can be found here: https://theanalyticalscientist.com/power-list/the-power-list-2015/.
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, whose district includes part of Arlington, said the region is strengthened by the University’s increasing reputation on the global stage.
“UTA faculty members are increasingly achieving international recognition in their fields, a reflection of the institution’s excellence in research and innovation,” said Barton, R-Ennis. “I congratulate Drs. Armstrong and Dasgupta both for their individual achievements in analytical chemistry and for the impact their work has on North Texas and the world.”
Duane Dimos, UTA vice president of research, said the inclusion of Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Dasgupta in the 2015 Power List was “most deserved and speaks to their tremendous influence in the field of analytical chemistry.”
The honors, he said, are a testament to UTA’s commitment to excellence in the field of analytical science, which is perfectly aligned with the goals and themes found in UTA’s Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact.
Armstrong, the Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry, was ranked No. 8 in the Power List 2015. He was also ranked No. 16 in the journal’s inaugural Power List in 2013. In 2014, the journal published a Top 40 Under 40 list, which included UTA associate professor of chemistry Kevin Schug, the Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry.
Armstrong’s development of new methods for separating chemical mixtures in solution or as gas has led to advances in realms of science essential to pharmaceutical drug development and disease identification and treatment. The columns, chiral selectors and techniques developed in his lab dominate the world of analytical enantiomeric separations.
He has received numerous awards over the course of his career, including the American Chemical Society Award in Separations Science and Technology in 2014 and the ACS Award for Chromatography in 1999. He was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2015 and an ACS Fellow in 2013. He has authored more than 550 publications and holds 23 U.S. patents.
Asked what important lessons he has learned in his career, Armstrong told The Analytical Scientist: “If you have imagination and work harder and more effectively than others, you are likely to be successful. Create fads rather than following them; most researchers just follow the prevailing scientific fads.”
Dasgupta, who holds the Hamish Small Chair of Ion Analysis and is also the Jenkins Garrett Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has also won numerous awards in his field, including the American Chemical Society National Award in Chromatography in 2011 and the Stephen Dal Nogare Award in Chromatography in 2012. In February 2015, he was honored with the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education.
Dasgupta’s active research areas include methods for environmentally-friendly analysis of arsenic in drinking water; rapid analysis of trace heavy metals in the atmosphere; iodine nutrition in women and infants and the role of the chemical perchlorate; and the development of a NASA-funded ion chromatograph for testing extraterrestrial soil, such as that found on Mars.
“Analytical science is simultaneously diverging in two directions,” Dasgupta told The Analytical Scientist. “One is simpler, cheaper formats – for example, paper-based assays; my heart lies in this direction; and the other is increasingly sophisticated instrumentation that provides heretofore unattained performance levels – my intellect admires this direction.”
Morteza Khaledi, dean of the UTA College of Science, said: “Having Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Dasgupta named to this list demonstrates the caliber of faculty we have in the College of Science. International recognition such as this enhances the reputation of UTA and the College of Science and affirms to the worldwide scientific community that great things are being done here.”
About The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of more than 51,000 students in campus-based and online degree programs and is the second-largest institution in The University of Texas System. The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked UTA as one of the 20 fastest-growing public research universities in the nation in 2014. U.S. News & World Report ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times’ 2016 Best for Vets list. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more, and find UTA rankings and recognition at http://www.uta.edu/uta/about/rankings.php
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