February 1, 2005

Purdue chemist to be recognized for job-creating inventions

R. Graham Cooks

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue University researcher whose work has led to 10 patents and improved drug development will be honored today (Tuesday, Feb. 1) as a leader in transferring technology from the lab to the marketplace.

R. Graham Cooks, Purdue's Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science, will be recognized for turning his discoveries, including the improved mass spectrometer, into essential analytical instruments as well as jobs for Indiana. Purdue's Office of Engagement will present Cooks with the Outstanding Commercialization Award today to recognize his 10 patents related to mass spectrometry, many now licensed by Indiana companies. Patents and technologies spawned in Cooks' lab today generate royalties and $2 million annually in research funding for Purdue.

"Professor Cooks has single-handedly revolutionized the field of chemistry," said Purdue President Martin C. Jischke. "Quite simply, Graham Cooks is one of the most productive inventors Purdue has ever seen. He has developed and commercialized a truly extraordinary array of technologies that have had a profound impact on the well-being of people worldwide."

Victor L. Lechtenberg, vice provost for engagement, said the award is presented to Purdue faculty who are especially successful at translating Purdue research discoveries into commercial products.

"Among the many Purdue faculty who have used their research to make a difference in our daily lives, Graham Cooks stands out," Lechtenberg said. "His foresight and ability to transform ideas into reality are unparalleled. He also is one of the world's pre-eminent mass spectrometrists."

During the 2:30 p.m. award ceremony, Cooks will deliver a lecture entitled "Making Mass Spectrometers: Commercialization of Analytical Instruments." Cooks will review the interdisciplinary field of mass spectrometry and Purdue's role in its broad range of applications.

Mass spectrometers are one of the most vital pieces of equipment in a modern chemistry or biology lab, and developing them has long been a specialty of Cooks's research team. The generally large machines are widely praised by chemists for their ability to determine the chemical composition of a complex substance by breaking it down and separating its components, each of which has a slightly different mass from the others.

"Mass spectrometry has proven quite good at analyzing successively more complex molecules for the past half-century," Cooks said.