The Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award, established in 1957, is given annually to a researcher who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in the field of spectroscopy.

Rohit Bhargava was chosen based on his fundamental contribution in the application of chemical imaging to diagnose cancer and microscopic structures. The Cancer Center at Illinois is the first technology-focused cancer research in US, of which he is the founder. His leadership in the community has been blessed with new investigators and mentees around the world. His depth of knowledge and accomplishments can be observed from the large numbers of publications, authoring a book, and various patents.