2019 College of Science Alumni Awards

2019-02-26

Writer(s): Steve Scherer

Three Chemistry alumni will return to campus in March to receive College of Science Awards.

Joe Allison (Ph.D. 1983) will be presented the 2018-19 College of Science Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Allison received his Ph.D. with Professor Richard Walton in the field of inorganic chemistry where he performed fundamental studies on the redox and substitution chemistry of rhenium polyhydrides. After leaving Purdue, Dr. Allison became a leading researcher in petroleum chemistry with an outstanding 31-year career at Phillips 66 and former ConocoPhillips, Conoco, and DuPont as a Research Fellow.

Livia Eberlin (Ph.D. 2012) will be presented the 2018-19 College of Science Alumni Early Career Award. Dr. Eberlin completed her Ph.D. working with Professor R. Graham Cooks. She was recently selected as a MacArthur Fellow, informally referred to as a "genius grant," a very rare honor. Dr. Eberlin’s research has been widely disseminated via publications in top journals and presentations at international conferences -- most notably her work at the interface of medicine and analytical chemistry in cancer diagnostics.

Justin Wiseman (Ph.D. 2006) will be presented the 2018-19 College of Science Alumni Entrepreneurial Award. Dr. Wiseman completed his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry working with Professor R. Graham Cooks where he was a primary inventor on ambient ionization mass spectrometry – specifically, desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry. After Purdue, he joined Prosolia, Inc. as research director and quickly rose to CEO where he leads the business, helping to secure further financing, hiring the team of chemists and engineers, developing relationships with mass spectrometry suppliers, and being the principal force behind technical sales across the globe.