UTA chemist acclaimed as up-and-coming scientist

A University of Texas at Arlington chemist has been honored for his significant contributions to separation science.

Kevin Schug, the Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry, was named recipient of the 2024 Silver Jubilee Medal by the Chromatography Society, a United Kingdom-based organization with worldwide membership. The Silver Jubilee Medal recognizes up-and-coming researchers who have made major use of separation science in their own field or those who have made important contributions to a particular area of separation science. The award was created in 1982 to celebrate the society’s 25th anniversary.

“I know many prominent separation scientists who have been recognized by this medal in the past. I am humbled and honored to be among them,” Schug said. “I understand that I was selected due to my wide range of use and promotion of gas and liquid separations. I credit a lot of current and past students for their contributions to that effort. I must also acknowledge the critical role that industrial partnerships have played.”

Rasika Dias, professor and chair of the UTA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said Schug is deserving of the accolade.

“In a relatively brief period of time, he has established himself as one of the top separation scientists in the world,” he said.

One area of Schug’s research noted by the society is his work with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) detection for gas chromatography. The VUV detector is made by a Texas company, VUV Analytics Inc.

“VUV Analytics approached me in 2009 to help evaluate and demonstrate the potential of their technology,” Schug said. “This company has since grown, and the technology has been adapted by many companies, particularly in the petrochemical and pharmaceutical spaces.”

The Chromatography Society noted that Schug’s research is primarily applied to the investigation of water treatment analyses and natural products, but also extends to sustainable and environmental trace analyses. It also remarked on his extensive industrial collaborations and his role as founder of the Shimadzu Center for Advanced Analytical Chemistry at UTA.

Schug has been honored with numerous awards, including a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award in 2023; the Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education from the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Analytical Chemistry in 2017; Tech Titans Future University Award in 2016; Young Investigator in Separation Science Award, ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry, in 2013; CAREER Award by the National Science Foundation in 2009; and the Young Investigator Award in Analytical Chemistry, Eli Lilly and Company, in 2009.

He has also been named three times to the Top 100 Power List by The Analytical Scientist (2023, 2021, 2019) and to the magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 Power List in 2014. He received the UT System Regent’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2014 and the UTA College of Science Research Excellence Award in 2010. He was named to the UTA Academy of Distinguished Teachers in 2018.