A Florida State University faculty member has been elected to a prestigious scientific organization for his innovation in magnetic resonance, a scientific phenomenon known to many for its role in enabling magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI — the non-invasive procedure that generates pictures of the human body’s internal structures, helping improve diagnoses and treatment for patients.
Rob Schurko, director of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Facility at the FSU-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was recently elected a fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR) for his innovation in the field of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
“Being elected as an ISMAR fellow was a pleasant surprise,” Schurko said. “I am very humbled to be a part of this, as the four other fellows I was nominated with are spectacular. To be grouped with these scientists and the rest of the accomplished fellows that make up this organization is an honor. Receiving a recognition like this from my peers makes me very grateful.”
ISMAR is an international scientific organization representing the range of magnetic resonance research that includes NMR, MRI and electron paramagnetic resonance. These methods, along with other magnetic resonance techniques, are important research tools in fields including physics, chemistry, life sciences, materials research, medicine and more.
Schurko, who was nominated by current ISMAR fellows, was recognized for his global leadership in pushing the frontier of high-magnetic field NMR science and applications. He was also acknowledged for his innovation in the field of solid-state NMR and for excelling in theoretical and experimental aspects of chemistry, materials science, quantum chemical computation and spectroscopy.
“I am thrilled for Dr. Schurko’s election as a fellow of ISMAR,” said Wei Yang, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry chair. “He is a world-class NMR spectroscopist and has developed a variety of innovative approaches to measure chemical fingerprints of complex materials via insightful designs of NMR pulse sequences. Besides the fact that this is a well-deserving honor for Dr. Schurko, it is also a great testimony of the department’s vision and effort on our star scholar recruitment and development.”
In the lab, Schurko researches the molecular structures of materials containing the platinum group elements (PGEs), which are some of the most rare and expensive elements on Earth. PGEs like iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium and ruthenium are used in applications across industries including transportation, smartphone technology, medical devices, medical treatments and defense systems.
“By analyzing the molecular structures of PGE materials, my work finds paths to so-called replacement metals that can be used in their place,” Schurko said. “Because PGEs are so rare and expensive, finding replacements that are more abundant may enhance accessibility and cost-effectiveness of new advanced materials.”
ISMAR also recognized Schurko for being a committed educator and a supporter of the next generation of scientists in academia and industry.
“Dr. Schurko is very passionate about classroom teaching,” Yang said. “He excels in explaining complex concepts, particularly ones with quantitative nature, in ways that are visually accessible to students with a high level of clarity.”
In his role as NMR facility director, Schurko headed the creation of the MagLab’s Summer School on Solid-State Spectroscopy, a program that coordinates tours, workshops and lectures for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students from FSU and other institutions in order to expose them to the high-caliber work done at a national laboratory.
“A lot of my teaching of NMR techniques is done at the graduate level through workshops and training students on instruments in the lab,” Schurko said. “A major goal of mine has been to train undergraduate students on these methods as well, which is where the summer school comes into play. By offering these opportunities to train on instruments and hear world-class scientists give lectures, we’re providing really positive experiences to encourage students to pursue magnetic resonance methods as a scientific career.”
ISMAR fellows are elected based on their contributions to the field both through the impact of their research on magnetic resonance and through their efforts to advance the appreciation of magnetic resonance in the broader scientific community. Fellowship in ISMAR carries an associated responsibility to serve as an advocate for the field of magnetic resonance.
To learn more about FSU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, visit chem.fsu.edu. Learn more about the NMR and MRI Facility and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at nationalmaglab.org.
Bella Bozied also contributed to this story.