Eric Verdon Wins AOAC INTERNATIONAL’s 2025 Harvey W. Wiley Award

On February 7, Daniéle Sohier, the president of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, announced Eric Verdon as the 2025 recipient of the Harvey W. Wiley Award, the Association’s highest honor for lifetime scientific achievement.

Eric Verdon | Image Credit: © AOAC INTERNATIONAL - https://www.aoac.org/news/aoac-international-announces-dr-eric-verdon-as-the-2025-wiley-award-winner/

The Harvey W. Wiley Award is presented every year to a scientist, or group of scientists, who have made outstanding contributions to analytical method development in areas of interest to AOAC INTERNATIONAL (1). Nominees are selected by the scientific community, with previous winners including Michelle Colgrave in 2024, Russell S. Flowers in 2013, and the first winner, L. C. Mitchell in 1957 (2). In addition to the award itself, the winner is highlighted at the AOAC INTERNATIONAL Annual Meeting and can nominate a student to receive the Harvey Wiley Award Scholarship.

Eric Verdon is the head of the European Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL) for Antibiotic Veterinary and Dye Residues in Food from Animal Origin. His engagement in analytical chemistry has influenced the field of Veterinary Drug Residue Control in Foods, which coincides with his leadership within the French national reference laboratory at ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental, and Occupational Health Safety. His work has led to development for analytical methods that utilize high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detecting both ultraviolet light and fluorescence (HPLC/UV and HPLC/FLD), and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) in accordance with European Union regulatory standards. He also helped design, develop, and implement proficiency testing studies and teaches physico-chemistry for analytical experts and students in French and English. Verdon has authored more than 100 scientific publications, 300 scientific communications, and 200 expert reports. Verdon was nominated by Salvatore Parisi of the Lourdes Matha Institute in Palermo, Italy.

“Verdon’s research has focused on taking into account the need of assuring adequate consumers’ protection and compliance with proper agricultural practice rules by means of a holistic and synergic approach,” Parisi said in a statement.

An AOAC member since 2002, Verdon has received other awards from the organization including the AOAC Fellow Award in 2018, the AOAC Method of the Year in 2016 for AOAC 2012.25, which involved a data review for methods of determining residues of three triphenylmethane dyes and their metabolites (malachite green, leuco malachite green, crystal violet, leuco crystal violet, and brilliant green) in aquaculture products via liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), and the 2013 Expert Review Panel of the Year for Veterinary Drugs (3). Verdon’s award will be presented at the 2025 AOAC Annual Meeting & Exposition, from August 23 to 28, 2025, in San Diego, California, USA. This conference brings together experts for professional development, networking, and collaboration in methods-based science (4). Inviting businesses, scientists, and more, the annual meeting can connect analytical communities and allow for future growth. Additionally, a profile of Verdon’s career will appear in the January/February issue of AOAC’s Inside Laboratory Management.

AOAC INTERNATIONAL is an independent, non-profit membership association of analytical science professionals in government, industry, and academia. Founded in 1884 with beginnings in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the organization’s mission is focused on food safety and product integrity through standards, validated test methods, and laboratory quality programs. In addition to publishing their own scientific journal, the Journal of AOAC International, the company also provides laboratory proficiency testing programs and facilitates the collaboration and training of scientists and other stakeholders to sustainably address challenges with sensible analytical solutions.

References

(1) AOAC Awards Program. AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2025. https://www.aoac.org/membership/awards/ (accessed 2025-2-10)

(2) Harvey W. Wiley Award Recipients. AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2024. https://www.aoac.org/membership/awards/harvey-w-wiley-award-recipients/ (accessed 2025-2-10)

(3) Hurtaud-Pessel, D.; Couëdor, P.; Verdon, E.; Dowell, D. Determination of Residues of Three Triphenylmethane Dyes and Their Metabolites (Malachite Green, Leuco Malachite Green, Crystal Violet, Leuco Crystal Violet, and Brilliant Green) in Aquaculture Products by LC/MS/MS: First Action 2012.25. J. AOAC Int. 2013, 96 (5), 1152–1157. DOI: 10.5740/jaoacint.13-142

(4) The AOAC INTERNATIONAL Annual Meeting: A Unique Analytical Science Opportunity. AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2024. https://www.aoac.org/2024-annual-meeting-exposition/ (accessed 2025-2-10)