Donald F. Hunt, PhD (Bio)

2025 Recipient: Joshua Coon, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Josh Coon grew up in rural Michigan, where he enjoyed fly fishing and woodworking, even building several riverboats during high school and college. His interest in Analytical Chemistry stemmed from a love of building, not boats, but chemical instrumentation. To escape the cold, he joined the Chemistry graduate program at the University of Florida. After graduating in 2002, he moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, to join Professor Don Hunt’s lab, where he co-invented electron transfer dissociation (ETD) for peptide sequencing by mass spectrometry. 

In 2005, Coon moved to Wisconsin as an Assistant Professor. He currently holds the Thomas and Margaret Pyle Chair at the Morgridge Institute for Research and is a Professor of Chemistry and Biomolecular Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His program specializes in developing and applying novel chemical instrumentation and molecular analysis methodologies. The team uses these technologies for studies ranging from basic biochemical questions in model organisms to translational work in human subjects. To date, he has published nearly 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts, which have collectively received over 35,000 citations. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Distinguished Achievement in Proteomic Sciences Award (Human Proteome Organization), the H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship (UW-Madison), the Biemann Medal (American Society for Mass Spectrometry), the Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award (Pittcon Society), the Ken Standing Award (University of Manitoba), and the ACS Chemical Instrumentation Award, among many others. Coon has mentored over 40 Ph.D. graduates and around 15 postdoctoral scholars, many of whom are now faculty members at top academic institutions or leaders in industry.