Andre Simpson (image by Don Campbell)
Andre Simpson wins Ricardo Aroca Award
Published: January 19, 2026
Andre Simpson, a professor in the department of physical and environmental sciences at U of T Scarborough, has been named the 2026 winner of the Ricardo Aroca Award by the Chemical Institute of Canada.
The award is presented to a senior scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of analytical chemistry while working in the country.
Simpson, who is cross-appointed as a professor in the department of chemistry at the Faculty of Arts & Science, has pioneered nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) development for environmental research, with his work focused on unravelling soil’s chemical structure, understanding contaminant binding and developing real-time in-vivo NMR to understand contaminant toxicity.
His accomplishments include the discovery of 6PPD-quinone, (6PPD-Q) a car tire-derived chemical responsible for killing wild salmon.
"Andre Simpson is extremely deserving of this award, as he is widely known as the world's leader in environmental NMR,” said Leah Casabianca, a professor at Clemson University in South Carolina who focuses on NMR research and was a visiting professor in Simpson’s research group.
“He is not only a great scientist, but also an excellent mentor and collaborator. He has advised more than 40 students, postdocs and visiting scientists, most of whom have gone on to successful careers in NMR.”
