Prof. Richard A. Durst is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Cornell University, USA. He received his B.S. in Chemistry with highest honours from the University of Rhode Island in 1960 and earned his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, with a minor in biophysics, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1963.

He began his distinguished career at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards (NBS, now NIST) in 1966, where he served as Chief of the Electrochemical Analysis Section and later as Deputy Director of the Center for Analytical Chemistry. His federal service was recognised with both the Bronze and Silver Medals for Superior and Meritorious Federal Service, and in 2009 he was inducted into the NBS/NIST Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Scientists.

In 1990, he joined the faculty at Cornell University, where he continued his prolific academic work. He is the author or co-author of over 260 technical articles and book chapters, and has edited two major scientific volumes. His contributions to analytical chemistry, especially in electrochemistry and biosensing, are widely recognised internationally.

Prof. Durst was elected Fellow of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc) in 2002.

Prof. Richard A. Durst has served as Member of the Presidium of the European Academy of Sciences across two mandates: March 2015 – February 2019; March 2019 – February 2023, extended until April 2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (in accordance with the EurASc Bylaws).