• In 1965 Lambert joined the faculty of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where in 1991 he became Clare Hamilton Hall Professor of Chemistry. In 2010 he retired from Northwestern and moved to Trinity University as Research Professor of Chemistry. He has been the author of 16 books and over 400 publications in scientific journals. His book Traces of the Past was a selection of the Natural Science Book Club. He was the founder of the Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry and served as editor-in-chief for 23 years. He is past chairman of the ACS Subdivision of Archaeological Chemistry, past president of the Society of Archaeological Sciences, past chairman of his department, and past chairman of the ACS Division of the History of Chemistry.

    • Ph.D. in Chemistry, California Institute of Technology
    • B.S. in Chemistry, Yale University
    • Distinguishing Amber Classes by Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, J. B. Lambert, C. Y.-h. Tsai, M. C. Shah, A. E. Hurtley, and J. A. Santiago-Blay, Archaeometry, 54, 332-348 (2012)
    • J. B. Lambert, S. Gronert, H. F. Shurvell, and D. A. Lightner, Organic Structural Spectroscopy, second edition, Pearson, 2011 
    • The Silicate-Mediated Formose Reaction: Bottom-Up Synthesis of Sugar Silicates, J. B. Lambert, S. A. Gurusamy-Thangavelu, and K. Ma, Science, 327, 984-986 (2010) 
    • Crystallographic Evidence for a Free Silylium Ion, K.-C. Kim, C. A. Reed, D. W. Elliott, L. J. Mueller, F. Tham, L. Lin, and J. B. Lambert, Science, 297, 825 827 (2002) 
    • J. B. Lambert, Traces of the Past: Unraveling the Secrets of Archaeology through Chemistry, Addison-Wesley/Perseus, 1997
    • Physical Organic Chemistry
    • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
    • Archaeological Chemistry
    • Organic Chemistry
    • 2020, Alamo Heights High School Hall of Fame, Inaugural Class
    • 2012, Fellow of the American Chemical Society 
    • 2010, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research 
    • 2004. Sidney M. Edelstein Award for Outstanding Achievements in the History of Chemistry (History of Chemistry Section, American Chemical Society) 
    • 2003, Carol and Harry Mosher Award (Santa Clara Valley Section, American Chemical Society) 
    • 1999 to 2002, Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence at Northwestern 
    • 1998, Frederic Stanley Kipping Award in Silicon Chemistry of the American Chemical Society 
    • 1994, Northwestern University Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching 
    • 1993, National Catalyst Award of the Chemical Manufacturers Association 
    • 1991, E. Leroy Hall Award of the College of Arts and Sciences of Northwestern University for Excellence in Teaching 
    • 1989, Fryxell Award from the Society for American Archaeology in recognition of his chemical contributions to archaeology 
    • 1987, James Flack Norris Award for Teaching of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society 
    • 1981, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 
    • 1976, National Fresenius Award
    • 1973, Guggenheim Fellow at the Research Laboratory of the British Museum 
    • Elder, Alamo Heights Presbyterian Church 
    • Chair, San Antonio Local Section, American Chemical Society