Contact: Robert Schurko
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Rob Schurko, Director of the MagLab’s Nuclear Magnetic Resonance User Facility and Florida State University professor of chemistry, has been named to the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida in recognition of his extraordinary research accomplishments.
"It’s a meaningful recognition not just of my own work, but of the transformative potential of solid-state NMR spectroscopy to tackle big scientific challenges,” Schurko said. “I’m proud to represent the MagLab, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at FSU, and the broader NMR community in this way."
Schurko is a leading authority in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
He has served as director of the NMR/MRI User Program at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory since 2020, guiding the facility’s scientific direction, overseeing a multidisciplinary team of more than 25 staff scientists and engineers, and hosting more than 300 researchers from around the globe annually.
“Solid-state NMR is helping us solve structures of pharmaceuticals, catalysts, and advanced materials that are too complex for conventional techniques,” Schurko explained. “We are studying systems such as drug polymorphs, semiconducting nanoparticles, and next-generation battery materials, often revealing hidden features at the atomic scale that are essential for tailoring their performance, safety, and cost of manufacturing.”
The MagLab NMR facility boasts the strongest magnets, top experts, and most precise instruments in the world for nuclear magnetic resonance. That includes the highest magnetic field NMR spectrometer, which operates at 35.2 tesla, along with the world’s strongest MRI, at 21.1 tesla.
“We are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible by building powerful new instruments and working side-by-side with users to answer questions that no one else can. That combination of technology, collaboration, and discovery is what keeps me excited every day,” Schurko said.
Schurko has previously been recognized for excellence in mentoring and in 2023 was awarded the prestigious Regitze R. Vold Memorial Prize for his contributions to the field of solid-state NMR.
Founded in 2018, the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida studies issues in science, engineering and medicine of interest to the people of Florida and provides unbiased, expert advice related to these issues. Individuals named to the Academy must live and work in Florida, be nominated by a current ASEMFL member and have an outstanding record of accomplishments of international significance.
Schurko will be inducted into ASEMFL at the organization’s annual conference in Orlando in November.
For more information, visit the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida.
