Sue Lunte

from 2022 KU Chemistry Newsletter

by ku-chemistry

Welcome Rebecca Whelan

Ralph N. Adams Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

2023 ACS National Award in Analytical Chemistry

The Chemistry Department is proud to announce that Susan Lunte, Ralph N. Adams Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, will be the recipient of the 2023 American Chemical Society National Award in Analytical Chemistry. The award recognizes her contributions to the field of bioanalytical chemistry and, in particular, her work in the development of new separation and detection methods for the determination of biological molecules including peptides, neurotransmitters and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Dr. Lunte is an innovator in the field of miniaturized separations systems involving capillary and microchip electrophoresis. This includes the development of new electrochemical detection methods and the coupling of microdialysis to electrophoresis for continuous in vivo monitoring of drugs and neurotransmitters. “I have been blessed with many talented graduate students, postdocs, undergraduate researchers and visiting scholars who have been part of my laboratory during my 35 years at KU. They are really the ones who have made this award possible. I have also had many great mentors and role models at KU, including my late husband, Craig.” Sue started her career at KU as a scientist in the Center for Bioanalytical Research working with Ted Kuwana. She joined the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1995 and was appointed the Ralph N. Adams Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in 2006. She is currently the director of the Ralph N. Adams Institute for Bioanalytical Chemistry and the NIH COBRE Center for Molecular Analysis of Disease Pathways. “Sue is a leader in her field, an excellent mentor, and a phenomenal person,” said former graduate student Rachel Saylor, currently an assistant professor at Oberlin College. “Her lab has produced many prominent analytical chemists across a wide range of careers, due in large part to the supportive, collegial, and inquisitive culture she fosters.” It is especially notable that the late Analytical Chemistry Professor Buzz Adams received this same award in 1982. Much of her group’s work is based on some of the fundamental techniques in electrochemistry that Adams pioneered in the 1970s. Sue is an academic granddaughter of Buzz, having worked for former Adams group members Ted Kuwana and Pete Kissinger. “Buzz was an inspiration to all of us and Nancy Harmony, who edited both our manuscripts behind the scenes, is also a hidden grantee of this award.”