In 1946, MIT appointed him Director of the Spectroscopy Laboratory and in 1954, Professor of Chemistry. In collaboration with George R. Harrison and J.R. Loofbourow, Lord published the widely used text Practical Spectroscopy in 1948.[citation needed]
Lord is considered a pioneer in the use of infrared radiation for the study of molecular structure. He is widely recognized for developments in the interpretation of infrared spectra of molecules in terms of their vibrational motion. He also contributed to the understanding of the cohesion of molecules by means of hydrogen bonding. His studies of the laser Raman spectroscopy of proteins and nucleic acids opened a new field of research.[citation needed]
In 1966, he received the Award in Spectroscopy from the Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Society, and in 1967, he was made an honorary member of the Society of Applied Spectroscopy.
In 1976, he was awarded the Lippincott Medal by the IUPAC.[4]