Peter Buseck, a world-renowned researcher in solid-state geochemistry and mineralogy, cosmochemistry and atmospheric geochemistry, and faculty member in the Arizona State University School of Molecular Sciences and School of Earth and Space Exploration, is the recipient of the 2023 Faculty Service Achievement Award.

Buseck has spent 60 years on the ASU faculty and has published prolifically, with more than 400 papers that produced more than 30,000 citations. Buseck is a pioneer in the use of transmission electron microscopy to study minerals, meteorites and aerosol particles at close to the atomic scale.

Due to this broad and impactful research in the area of meteoritics and cosmochemistry, ASU’s Center for Meteorite Studies was recently renamed for him and became the Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies. In 2012, a new meteorite mineral, “buseckite”, was named in his honor. Buseck and the Center are credited with helping boost ASU’s reputation as a leading research institution.

Buseck served as special assistant to the director of the National Science Foundation and on the science staff of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 1994-1995. He has trained generations of scientists from 25 countries across six continents, and has mentored 39 PhD and MS students, as well as 96 postdoctoral researchers and senior visiting scientists. Many of his former students are faculty members, including three at Arizona universities.

He is also known for his generosity. He created the Alice and Peter Buseck Scholarship for Piano Students, an endowment in music created to honor his late wife. In addition, Buseck created endowments in both the Schools of Molecular Sciences and of Earth and Space Exploration to support public lectures designed to broaden awareness and knowledge of ethical considerations in science.

In addition to his many scientific contributions, Buseck continues to draw attention to the importance of ethics, social justice and professional values in enhancing education and in making us all better citizens.

Buseck has been honored in his three primary research areas: in 2019 the Roebling Medal – the highest award of the Mineralogical Society of America, for outstanding original work in mineralogy; in 2021 the David Sinclair Award – among the highest awards from the American Association of Aerosol Research; also in 2021 the renowned ASU meteorite center was named the Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies.