Entrepreneur Alexandra Knauer, managing director of laboratory equipment manufacturer KNAUER, has been awarded the Pittcon Heritage Award 2026 in the United States.
Alexandra Knauer, Pitcon Heritage Award recipient. Image credit: KNAUER
This award recognizes outstanding individuals who have made lasting contributions to the advancement of instrumental analysis and experimental science. The awards ceremony took place on March 8, 2026, during the Pittcon Conference and Expo in San Antonio, Texas, with approximately 700 conference attendees in attendance.
Surprisingly, Alexandra Knauer was unable to travel as planned because she did not have a US visa. Dr. Markus Fuchs, who has been with KNAUER for 30 years, accepted the award on her behalf. A video message from Knauer was shown at the ceremony. In his speech of praise, David A. Cole, CEO and director of the Philadelphia-based Institute for the History of Science, specifically praised Alexandra Knauer’s entrepreneurial spirit, scientific innovation, and socially responsible leadership. As a recipient of the award, she will also be inducted into the Pitcon Hall of Fame.
Alexandra Knauer is the second generation to run the Berlin-based family business, and over the past few decades has successfully transformed the company from a traditional analytical measurement equipment manufacturer into a diversified life sciences technology provider. Under her leadership, new business areas such as fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) and lipid nanoparticle manufacturing technologies were established alongside analytical and preparative HPLC systems.
In a video message, Alexandra Knauer expressed her heartfelt gratitude and emphasized the importance not only of flexibility but also of innovation, history and sustainability. She highlighted the upcoming market launch of a new 3-in-1 LC detector system and a modular oligonucleotide synthesizer as milestones in the company’s recent development.
Alexandra Knauer dedicated the award to her father, Dr. Herbert Knauer (1931-2024), who founded the company with his wife Roswita in 1962 and whose inventive spirit shaped the company over the years. He was an early recognizer of the potential of liquid chromatography and pioneered the introduction of a modular, compact gradient HPLC system in 1974.
The award has been jointly awarded since 2002 by the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pitcon) and the Institute for the History of Science (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation). The awards ceremony is held annually as part of a special ceremony during Pitcon.
The KNAUER team in Berlin supported and celebrated this award on Monday at a special breakfast hosted by the management team.
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KNAUER Scientific Devices GmbH
