The Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award, established in 1957, is given annually to a researcher who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in the field of spectroscopy. Dr. Tycko was selected for the award based on the intellectual depth of his work, as well as its enormous impact on chemistry and now also biology. Over the past 30+ years, Dr. Tycko’s work has had a major impact on magnetic resonance spectroscopy, both through contributions to fundamental aspects of solid state NMR and through seminal applications of novel magnetic resonance methods to a plethora of problems in physical and biological chemistry. A distinguishing feature of Dr. Tycko’s work, which made him an ideal candidate for the Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award, is how it combines new conceptual insights and experimental approaches with detailed investigations of specific systems that are of central importance to large communities of scientists outside of magnetic resonance.