Jon Elson is one of just a few at WashU who have achieved the milestone of 50 years of service.
Elson, a research engineer, has worked at WashU since 1975. He attended WashU as an undergraduate student and enjoyed his time here. When the opportunity arose, Elson took over a job working in mechanical engineering in the Air Pollution Research Lab, now known as the Center for Air Pollution Information and Trend Analysis (CAPITA). After nearly a decade there, Elson transferred to Chemistry. Since then, the flexibility his roles provided, along with great benefits, kept him at the university.
Over the years, Elson has helped with a number of projects, including developing a system to log data from a device using beta particles to gauge the added thickness of particulates collected on filter paper through which gas has passed, as well as advancing technologies for the detection of ionizing radiation. Elson has been a coauthor on nearly 250 papers that have garnered over 10,000 citations.
From that point on, Jon has brought his great technical skill, beyond engineering, to advance several projects that bent the trajectory of both applied and basic low-energy nuclear chemistry and physics, as well as a myriad of smaller projects that moved the WashU effort forward.”
– Lee Sobotka, professor of chemistry
From the relationships Elson’s built with his colleagues, it’s his work that keeps him at WashU. Through his decades of research, he’s become a cornerstone of the university’s research ecosystem. Elson’s work spans several decades of progress in environmental science, nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry. His custom-built technologies and ongoing support have made him an indispensable figure within the chemistry department.
“Jon is a WashU resource in another sense,” Sobtoka said. “As he has spent so many years working here, he knows the place–above ground and below, present buildings and the ones that preceded them, and the decades of occupants of those buildings–better than almost anyone.”
As Elson marks 50 years of service in FY25, WashU proudly honors his legacy of innovation, commitment and excellence.