Awards

Thomson Medal Award

The Thomson Medal Award is named after Sir J. J. Thomson, who was responsible for the first mass spectrograph and its resulting data more than 100 years ago. He also predicted many features of modern mass spectrometry. He discovered the electron using mass spectrometry and won the Nobel Prize in 1906 for his research.

The Thomson Medal Award is sponsored by the International Mass Spectrometry Foundation (IMSF), and the first awards were made in 1985.

Previous winners of the award were:

2024: J. Brodbelt and R. Yost
2022: V. Wysocki and L. Gall
2020: A. E. Ashcroft and R. M. A. Heeren
2018: J. R. Yates III and A. J. R. Heck
2016: M. Eberlin and S. A. McLuckey
2014: C. V. Robinson and R. Zenobi
2012: R. Aebersold, A. Makarov and F. Tureček
2009: C. E. Costello, C. C. Fenselau and P. Roepstorff
2006: J. H. Bowie, M. L. Gross and M. Karas
2003: R. M. Caprioli, F. Hillenkamp and V. L. Talrose
2000: J. B. Fenn, D. F. Hunt and A. G. Marshall
1997: M. T. Bowers, D. E. Games and J. F. J. Todd
1994: C. Brunnée, C. Djerassi and H. Schwarz
1991: K. Biemann, H. Matsuda and N. M. M. Nibbering
1985: J. H. Beynon, R. G. Cooks, K. R. Jennings, F. W. McLafferty and A. O. C. Nier

Curt Brunnée Award

“For outstanding contributions to the development of instrumentation for mass spectrometry by a person under the age of 45 at the time of the award”.

Dr Curt Brunnée worked for 35 years at MAT; a mass spectrometry instrumentation company that, through many transformations (Atlas, Krupp, Varian, Finnigan), became what is now known as ThermoFisher Scientific. During this time, Dr. Brunnée designed and developed over 20 different mass spectrometers and inspired many of the leading instrument developers; including those of the modern era. His outstanding contributions to the field of mass spectrometry were recognized by the International Mass Spectrometry Foundation who awarded him the Thomson Medal in 1994 (Budapest). In 1991, ThermoFisher Scientific (then Finnigan) sponsored the Curt Brunnée award, which is given to young promising scientists who have made an essential contribution to the development of experimental and theoretical mass spectrometry.

Previous winners of the award were:

2024: Dr. Jens Soltwisch (University of Munster)
2022: Prof. Erin Baker (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
2020: Prof. Livia Eberlin (Baylor College of Medicine)
2018: Prof. Daniel Austin (Brigham Young)
2016: Dr. Yury Tsybin (Spectroswiss)
2014: Dr. Dimitris Papanastasiou (Fasmatech)
2012: Prof. Zheng Ouyang (Purdue University)
2009: Dr. Alexander Makarov (Thermo Scientific)
2006: Prof. Roman Zubarev (Uppsala University)
2003: Dr. Michisato Toyoda (Osaka University)
2000: Prof. Scott McLuckey (Purdue University)
1997: Prof. Michael Guilhaus (University of New South Wales)
1994: Dr. Gareth Brenton (Swansea)

Jochen Franzen Award

“For outstanding contributions to innovations in structural, spatial and/or separation analysis with mass spectrometry”.

Dr. Franzen founded the Franzen Analysentechnik GmbH in Bremen and consequently three years later joined forces with Bruker. With this, Bruker-Franzen Analytik GmbH was created in Bremen, Germany, specializing in the invention and manufacturing of mass spectrometry instrumentation. He was known for his commitment to continuous innovation, demonstrated in his more than 190 patents granted across his impressive and long career. A pioneer of mass spectrometry, Dr. Franzen’s more than 50 publications are foundational to the basic research in this field and are cited with above-average frequency. The first spectrometers he developed can be admired in the Deutsches Museum in Munich. 

In 2022, the inaugural Jochen Franzen award was generously sponsored by Bruker.

Previous winners of the award were:

2024: Dr. Ljiljana Pasá-Tolic (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
2022: Dr. Shane Ellis (University of Wollongong)