Texas A&M University chemist Dr. Lane A. Baker has been selected by the Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry (SEAC) to receive the 2023 Charles N. Reilley Award in Electroanalytical Chemistry in recognition of significant contributions to the discipline.
Established in 1984 and sponsored by Bioanalytical Systems Inc., the award recognizes an active researcher who has made a major contribution to the theory, instrumentation or applications of electroanalysis. It is named in tribute to the memory of Charles N. Reilley, one of the most distinguished analytical chemists of the 20th century who recognized that measuring things is at the heart of modern chemistry. Reilley also was central to the history of the SEAC, which was founded following his death in 1981 with the goal of keeping electrochemically inclined researchers and scholars connected, supported and inspired.
Baker, who is renowned as one of the world's preeminent analytical chemists, joined the Texas A&M Department of Chemistry in January after 16 years on faculty at the University of Indiana. A 2001 Texas A&M chemistry Ph.D. graduate, he is the inaugural holder of the Dr. Carl D. McAfee '90 Endowed Chair in Analytical Chemistry at Texas A&M, where his research focuses on nanoscale electrochemical methods for analysis and imaging, with specific emphasis on new routes to high-throughput electrochemical analysis useful in studying phenomena at biological interfaces as well as both materials and environmental science.
“More than anything, the Reilley Award acknowledges the hard work students and postdocs in my group have performed through the years," Baker said. "I’ve been very fortunate to work with some creative and driven group members who have really elevated our research program. Much of the work my group does is related to developing new tools for nanoscale electrochemical measurements. Research in adjacent fields, such as materials science and biotechnology, are beginning to take up these tools. There is a very healthy community in nanoscale electrochemistry, and I’m happy we can contribute to its advance.”
Baker will be formally presented with the award, which is one of two bestowed annually by the society, at Pittcon 2023, scheduled for March 18-23 in Philadelphia. As the current SEAC President-elect, Baker also is set to assume the society's organizational reins next summer.
"I am delighted to see our new colleague Lane Baker, who is pushing the field of electrochemistry to unprecedented limits, recognized with the Charles N. Reilley Award in Electroanalytical Chemistry," said Dr. Simon W. North, John W. Bevan Professor of Chemistry and head of Texas A&M Chemistry. "Lane joins a truly impressive group of former award recipients that includes several members of the National Academy of Sciences."
Baker received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Missouri State University in 1996. After earning his doctorate at Texas A&M, he completed two postdoctoral appointments — a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associateship studying scanned probe microscopies with Lloyd J. Whitman at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC (2001-2004), followed by a subsequent appointment studying nanopore membranes and single nanopore platforms with Charles R. Martin at the University of Florida (2004-2006) — prior to beginning his independent academic career at Indiana in 2006. He had been the James F. Jackson Professor of Chemistry in the Indiana Department of Chemistry since 2014.
A fellow of both the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Royal Society of Chemistry, Baker served as chair of the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry in 2019. He already has received numerous accolades in his relatively young academic career, including a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award (2009), a Cottrell Scholar Award (2009), the highly prestigious ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Award in Electrochemistry (2021) and a special creativity award from the NSF. He previously was honored by the SEAC with its 2012 Royce W. Murray Young Investigator Award recognizing accomplishments by researchers who are within the first seven years of their career. In addition, he has been a prior member of the SEAC Board of Directors and founded the SEAC student group meeting.
“Measurement science has never been more important, and fundamental research in instruments and analytical techniques is always going to be necessary to drive the very front of science and engineering research," Baker said. "Texas A&M has a strong history in analytical chemistry and measurement science, and I’m excited to be a part of the faculty in the Department of Chemistry. I’m very bullish on what the future holds here.”
To learn more about Baker and his research, visit https://bakergrp.org/.