Professor Joseph A. Gardella, Jr. was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Joe completed a dual degree program in Chemistry (B.S.) and Philosophy (B.A.) from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan (1977) and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh (1981). After a short postdoctoral researcher position in Physical Chemistry at the University of Utah (1981-82), Joe joined the University at Buffalo Department of Chemistry in 1982 as an Assistant Professor. He quickly rose through the ranks and was named the John and Francis Larkin Professor of Chemistry (2009-18) and SUNY Distinguished Professor (2013). In addition, he served as a visiting scientist/program officer at the National Science Foundation Chemistry Division (1989-90). From 1999-2005, he was Associate Dean for External Affairs in CAS, coordinating and leading the College's programs in working with industry, community, government, and elementary and secondary schools. From 1996-2006, he was the Director of the UB Materials Research Instrumentation Facility, managing ~ $9M of shared research instrumentation. Joe retired from UB in 2022 after an exciting 40-year career dedicated to excellence in research, mentorship, and outreach.

Joe authored/coauthored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and was awarded nine patents in his prolific career. The research in the Gardella groups focused on quantitative analysis and surface chemistry, and the application of these methods to study environmental effects on polymer surfaces and tissue engineering with synthetic biomaterials. His group also worked at the intersection of analytical chemistry, geographic information analysis, and public participation in environmental chemistry, focusing on air and soil pollution. His research received generous support from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, and industry sponsors.

Joe served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Analytical Science and Technology, Chinese Journal of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry, Colloids and Surfaces: Part B: Biointerfaces, and Spectroscopy Letters. His contributions have been recognized by numerous awards and honors. Some notable ones include the Jacob M. Schoellkopf Medal of Science (2002), SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity (2005) and for Faculty Service (2004), the National Science Foundation Award for Special Creativity (1991-93 and 2009-2011), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Champion Award (2016). He was selected as the Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2007), the American Vacuum Society (2004) and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (2010).

Joe’s laboratory was a hub for training diverse and outstanding Ph.D. and M.A. graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, and many talented undergraduate researchers. He was recognized by numerous mentorship and teaching awards, including SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching (1996), the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentorship (2005), and the J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education (2014) from the American Chemical Society, Division of Analytical Chemistry.

Besides research and mentorship, Joe actively developed programs in undergraduate research, interdisciplinary studies, service learning, and other academic reform areas in the Western New York (WNY) Community. He acted as the UB representative to the WNY Service-Learning Coalition and was the director of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Partnership (ISEP) with Buffalo Public Schools (2006-2022), among many other initiatives that aimed at developing methods to increase the participation of K-12 students and teachers and undergraduate students in integrative research or scholarly activities.

Joe represents the best UB has to offer in scholarship and service, elevating our outreach to our students and community to new heights.