Authors

Ken Marcus is a Robert Adger Bowen Professor of Chemistry at Clemson University. He is an internationally recognized analytical chemist with a distinguished career spanning education, research, and mentorship. Over nearly four decades on the Clemson University faculty, he has supervised the graduation of 44 PhD and 17 MS students and has served on the editorial advisory boards of three international journals. His scientific achievements have been widely honored, including the South Carolina Governor’s Award for Excellence in Science Research (2001), Fellowships in the Royal Society of Chemistry (2010), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2012), the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (2016), and the National Academy of Inventors (2018). Marcus’ research centers on the development of advanced plasma-based techniques for atomic spectroscopic analysis.

Brian R. Strohmeier is currently serving as the President of Pittcon for the 2027 conference. He has had an extensive career in analytical spectroscopy, working with techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), auger electron spectroscopy (AES), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). His research experience has spanned numerous application areas, including the study of adhesion, corrosion, oxidation, and wetting phenomena; chemical and plasma modification of material surfaces; and the surface characterization of aluminum and steel alloys, transition element metals and oxides, asbestos and related minerals, glass and fiberglass, ceramics, chemicals, polymers, vacuum-deposited thin films, organic coatings, and heterogeneous catalysts.