The Materials Characterization Center (MCC) is a non-profit corporation affiliated with the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) that provides analytical services in the areas of physical and chemical characterization of materials using state-of-the art instrumentation and methodologies to the academic, as well as the private sector. Different from other scientific instrumentation facilities in academic settings, MCC is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FEI No. 3005053832) and provides quality systems to ensure that each service meets the Industry user’s goals and Standards (cGMP). Also, MCC routinely serve the academic sector, not only with access to its impressive analytical facilities, but MCC provides training to students or other scientist and provides maintenance of the scientific instrumentation and facilities. MCC performs chemical and physical characterization of materials, identification of unknown substances, and analysis to advance research with user-friendly support services, including expert advice and data interpretation.

The MCC was created in 1995 by a joint effort of INDUNIV (Industry/University Research Consortium), and the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) with the key collaboration of the Puerto Rico Industrial development Corporation (PRIDCO, $4M) and four professors from the College of Natural Sciences, of the UPR-Río Piedras Campus. MCC was incorporated as a nonprofit organization affiliated with the University of Puerto Rico in April 1999.

Dr. Tony Prieto received his B.S in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry degrees at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. He then moved to the University of California at Berkeley for his postdoctoral studies in the area of chemical synthesis. In 1984, he joined the Department of Chemistry at UPR-Río Piedras were he performed his research and academic activities for almost 35 years as a Professor of Organic Chemistry. His research interests touched the area of organic and organometallic synthesis, mainly the synthesis of biologically active compounds and epoxide chemistry. Professor Prieto was the founder and Director of the UPR-RP and the Molecular Sciences Center (MSRC) core NMR facilities until his retirement in 2019. He was also one of the founders and the first Director of the Materials Characterization Research Center (MCC), a grant awarded by the Science and Technology Board of the Puerto Rico to advance the Island’s scientific research infrastructure. He is currently MCC's Associate Director of Scientific Affairs. During his career Dr. Prieto produced an number of research papers, mentored many undergraduate and graduate students and received several awards and distinctions including; the ACS-Puerto Rico Section Leonardo Igaravídez Award; the University of Puerto Rico Academic Excellence and Productivity Award; the Puerto Rico Chemist Association Osvaldo Ramírez Torres Award; and the ACS-Puerto Rico Section, Excellence in Chemistry Education Award.