The Washington-Baltimore Mass Spectrometry Discussion Group (WBMSDG) is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2026 Young Investigator Travel Awards to the American Society Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) conference in San Diego, California and the Georges Guiochon Student Award for the HPLC Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Awards will be granted to outstanding young investigators at the undergraduate or graduate student level to support travel to the 74th ASMS Conference and HPLC 2026, respectively. Undergraduate and graduate students in laboratories and institutions traditionally associated with the WBMSDG (and the former Washington Chromatography Discussion Group) in the following geographic regions are encouraged to apply: from Richmond and Charlottesville, VA to the South and Newark, DE to the North.
Three Young Investigator Travel Awards will be given. 1st place: $1200, 2nd place: $800, and 3rd place: $500.
Two Georges Guiochon Student Awards will be given. 1st place: $1000, 2nd place: honorable certificate.
Complete applications for either award consist of the following items:
1. Download the 2026 application form with checklist for the Young Investigator Travel Award (ASMS) and/or the Georges Guiochon Student Award (HPLC). NOTE: All instructions are located on downloaded forms, but key points are repeated here for convenience.
2. Complete the application form and checklist including certifying on the checklist that you are an undergraduate or graduate student and have NOT completed a Ph.D. program i.e. post-docs do not qualify for this award. Please certify that you will be able to provide a 10-minute presentation during the WBMSDG’s Monday June 15th, 2026, meeting in Columbia, MD.
3. Electronic copy of your ASMS/HPLC abstract.
4. Evidence of abstract acceptance indicating the presentation format (poster or oral)
5. Curriculum Vitae or Resume.
6. Two-page summary of research project (figures can be included).
7. Letter of recommendation from advisor.
Applicants should submit items 1-6 listed above as a single PDF file to Dr. Dingyin Tao. Item 7 must be sent directly by the applicant’s advisor to Dr. Dingyin Tao:
Dingyin Tao, PhD
WBMSDG Co-chair
owendtao@gmail.com
The deadline for all applications is 11:59 PM EDT on Friday, May 1st, 2026. A confirmation e-mail will be sent within 72 hours of receipt. The timestamp from the e-mail receipt will be used to determine time of submission. No Late Submissions will be accepted. A panel of WBMSDG members will act as reviewers. Please note, previous winners are encouraged to apply if the award application for the upcoming ASMS/HPLC conference significantly differs from the previously successful application. Applicants may apply to both awards if they are attending both conferences. In the event that a conference is canceled, awards will be given out as well as prize amounts up to the full award to cover any incurred costs associated with travel. Successful applicants to both awards will be expected to give a 10-minute oral presentation at the post-ASMS WBMSDG meeting on Monday June 15th, 2026, at Shimadzu Scientific, 7100 Riverwood Dr, in Columbia, MD.
Dingyin Tao, PhD
WBMSDG Co-chair