What Doty Scientific does

Doty Scientific, Inc. is a privately held scientific instrumentation manufacturer founded in 1982 by Dr. F. David Doty and headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina. The company designs, patents, and produces high-performance hardware accessories for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), including solids NMR probes (No-E BioSolids, BMAX, Wide Bore Ultra-Range, Magic Angle Gradient, Fluorine MAS, Wideline), diffusion/PFG probes, MRI RF coils (volume, surface, curved, and vertical bore), and an emerging line of THz/mmWave components (Laminate-Lined Waveguides and HE11 miter bends, launchers, and couplers). Core technical differentiators include the proprietary No-E cross-coil architecture (reducing decoupler heating by more than an order of magnitude), Litz and Litzcage RF coil designs (delivering 10-15% higher SNR than conventional birdcages), Magic Angle Gradient coils (up to 400 G/cm at 14 T), and microturbine MAS sample spinners (up to 28,000 revolutions per second); the portfolio spans 300 MHz to 1.2 GHz NMR systems and 3 T to 15.2 T MRI fields.

Doty Scientific employs approximately 30 staff including 4-5 PhDs in physics, biochemistry, and engineering, holds over 30 patents, and serves academic, government, pharmaceutical/biotech, and industrial research customers such as Weizmann Institute, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and University of Florida. Revenue is generated through direct, quote-based sales of custom-engineered instruments supplemented by a recurring accessories and supplies stream (rotors, caps, temperature control, cold gas systems priced from $1,010 to $6,440), with regional sales and service partners in Germany, France/Belgium, Japan, and South Korea. The company has remained privately held since inception under founder and CEO F. David Doty, supplemented by NIH SBIR/STTR grant funding for advanced development.

Name

Doty Scientific

Legal name

Doty Scientific, Inc.

Website

https://dotynmr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Doty Scientific is a privately held Columbia, SC-based manufacturer founded in 1982 that designs and sells high-performance NMR probes, MRI RF coils, and THz waveguide components to academic, government, and pharmaceutical research institutions worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

NMR and MRI Scientific Instrumentation

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Systems (HLAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments (HLAGAIAB)

Keywords

• NMR probes
• MRI RF coils
• THz waveguides
• Scientific instrumentation
• Solids NMR spectroscopy

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Scientific Instrumentation Hardware Sales: Doty Scientific generates revenue through the sale of specialized scientific instrumentation including NMR probes, MRI RF coils, and THz components. Products are high-value, custom-engineered instruments with long sales cycles requiring direct consultation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Doty Scientific designs, manufactures and sells custom-engineered scientific instrumentation for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) research, including solids NMR probes, diffusion/PFG probes, high-field MRI RF coils, and Terahertz (THz) waveguide components. Its products are used by universities, research hospitals and government labs to perform solid-state NMR spectroscopy, diffusion measurements and pre-clinical MRI at magnetic fields from 3 T to 15.2 T and NMR frequencies up to 1300 MHz.

Product overview

Doty Scientific is a scientific instrumentation company founded in 1982 specializing in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) hardware. The product portfolio centers on high-performance solids NMR probes (including No-E BioSolids, BMAX, Wide Bore Ultra-Range, Magic Angle Gradient, and Wideline probes), diffusion/PFG probes, MRI RF coils (volume coils, surface coils, and vertical bore imaging probes), THz components (Laminate Lined Waveguides, HE11 miter bends, launchers, and couplers), and comprehensive accessories. The company serves academic and research institutions worldwide with products ranging from 300 MHz to 1200 MHz NMR systems and 3 T to 15.2 T MRI coils.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solids NMR Probes A comprehensive line of solids NMR probes including No-E BioSolids probes, narrow bore BMAX H/X or H/X/Y MAS probes up to 1300 MHz, wide bore H/X MAS probes, wide bore Ultra-Range H/X/Y probes for 300–700 MHz with high- and low-temperature options, Magic Angle Gradient MAS-MAG probes with up to 400 G/cm PFG at 14 T, Wideline probes for non-spinning applications, and fluorine-dedicated MAS probes, for solid-state NMR spectroscopy researchers at academic and government institutions.
• Wide Bore H/X MAS Probes Wide bore two channel H/X MAS probes with 3, 4, 5, or 7 mm spinner options, broad tuning range with inserts from 31P to 103Rh, and VT range from -110 to +150 degrees C, for solid-state NMR researchers requiring wide bore sample access.
• PFG/Diffusion Z-Gradient Probes Pulsed field gradient probes for diffusion measurements with gradient coils over 3,300 G/cm (33 T/m), enabling measurement of low diffusion coefficients down to 10^-15 m²/s with the largest sample region and 1% gradient uniformity, for NMR researchers performing diffusion studies on biomolecular solutions and porous materials.
• Operando 3 Axis Imaging Probes Gradient probes with 3-axis gradient coils (X, Y and Z linear gradients) for battery component characterization under reaction conditions and localized spectroscopy, for industrial researchers performing in-situ characterization of batteries and operating devices.
• Vertical Bore MRI Imaging Probes Vertical bore MRI imaging probes integrating 3-axis gradient coils and Litz RF coils for the highest gradients at the highest fields, designed for magnets with 40 to 72 mm inside RT shims, for pre-clinical MRI researchers using vertical bore spectrometers.
• High-Field MRI RF Coils Complete line of MRI RF coils including volume coils, surface coils and curved surface coils with proprietary Litz and Litzcage designs providing 10–15% higher SNR than conventional birdcages and 10–30% better B1 homogeneity, available for magnetic fields from 3 T to 15.2 T including 1H/19F, 1H/2H and multinuclear X channels, for pre-clinical and small-animal MRI researchers.
• 15.2 T MRI Imaging Coils Ultra-high field 15.2 T dual-frequency MRI coils for mouse body or rat brain imaging with tunable 1H–19F high frequency channel and multinuclear X channel including low gamma nuclei, for ultra-high-field pre-clinical MRI researchers.
• High Temperature Liquids NMR Probe Liquids NMR probe with PFG Z-gradient capability for sample temperatures up to 300 degrees C, featuring high-performance shielded gradient over 1300 G/cm, for industrial and academic researchers measuring temperature-dependent NMR of polymers and other liquid samples.
• NMR/MRI Accessories and Supplies Comprehensive accessories for NMR and MRI probes including rotors and caps in silicon nitride, zirconia and Macor; cold gas supply systems and temperature control accessories; spin rate detection preamps; probe exhaust dewars; and general probe accessories, for NMR/MRI operators.
• Laminate-Lined Waveguides (LLWG) Novel low-loss, low-cost THz waveguides reducing transmission losses by 100X to 1,000,000X compared to fundamental mode rectangular waveguides, operating in the 70–1500 GHz range and supporting overmoded HE11 transmission, for THz and millimeter-wave system developers.
• HE11 THz Components (Miter Bends, Launchers, Couplers) HE11 THz miter bends, launchers and couplers for overmoded LLWG waveguides in the 100–750 GHz range, including ultra-low-loss gold-plated precision brass miter bends, TE10-to-HE11 launchers and world-first high-directivity HE11 bidirectional couplers, for THz and mmWave system integrators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Decoupler heating reduced by more than an order of magnitude compared to solenoid-only probes
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• Weizmann Institute of SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on development of 15.2 T, 2 channel, multinuclear (H/X) MRI coil for mouse body/rat brain imaging. Joint ENC poster presented in 2025 on H/X RF modules with orthogonal optimized Litz-foil coils. Research focused on water transport and metabolism in mouse fetal organs using 1H/2H pregnant mouse studies.
• ROTOTEC-SPINTEC GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean Sales & Service office for Doty Scientific products. Located in Bad Wildbad, Germany, providing sales support and authorized service center for European customers.
• RS2DregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales representative for Doty Scientific products in France and Belgium, based in Mundolsheim, France.
• L.A. Systems Inc.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapanese Sales & Service representative for Doty Scientific products, based in Tokyo, Japan.
• BK Instruments Inc.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKorean Sales & Service representative for Doty Scientific products, based in Daejeon, South Korea.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Nanalysis: Nanalysis makes benchtop 60-100 MHz NMR spectrometers for industrial and academic teaching markets. It is an emerging player in a different price/performance tier but is comparable as a magnetic resonance instrumentation company serving research-adjacent customers.
• Magritek: Magritek develops compact benchtop NMR and EPR instruments, with growing activity in reaction monitoring and educational markets. It is comparable thematically as a magnetic resonance instrument vendor, though it targets lower-field applications distinct from Doty's ultra-high-field niche.
• Insight MRI (now part of Li-Cor / privately held): Insight MRI designs MRI RF coils for animal imaging and shim coils for high-resolution research MRI, often in the vertical-bore ultra-high-field segment. It is a focused emerging peer whose coil offerings overlap with Doty's surface, volume, and vertical-bore imaging products.
• Doty Scientific itself uses RS2D as its France/Belgium distributor: RS2D is a French developer of benchtop and compact NMR spectrometers with growing emphasis on educational and industrial applications. While it operates in a different segment, its benchtop NMR/relaxometry products overlap thematically with the broader magnetic resonance research-tool ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Bruker BioSpin: Bruker BioSpin is the dominant supplier of NMR and EPR spectrometers and accessories, including cryoprobes and high-field probe heads. It directly competes with Doty in solids NMR probes, PFG/diffusion probes, and MRI RF coils for preclinical research, and is the most comparable direct peer given overlapping product categories and customer base.
• JEOL: JEOL manufactures NMR spectrometers, probes, and related accessories used in solid-state and solution NMR. It competes with Doty in NMR probe and accessory sales to academic and government research institutions, particularly in Asia.
• MR Instruments: MR Instruments designs and manufactures high-field MRI RF coils for animal and human research applications, including surface and volume coils. It is a focused direct peer in the high-field MRI coil category that competes for similar university and research institute budgets.
• Rapid Biomedical: Rapid Biomedical specializes in RF coils for preclinical and clinical MRI, including small-animal and phased-array coils. Its product focus on MRI RF coils for animal imaging directly overlaps with Doty's MRI volume, surface, and curved-surface coil lines.

Broad incumbents

• Agilent Technologies (formerly Varian NMR): Agilent acquired Varian and continues to supply NMR spectrometers, probes, and consumables as part of a broader analytical instruments portfolio. It is a broad incumbent peer serving the same research customers with overlapping but more standardized NMR offerings.
• Oxford Instruments (NanoScience / Magnetic Resonance): Oxford Instruments provides cryogenics, high-field magnets, and NMR-related specialty products as part of a broader scientific instrumentation portfolio. While not exclusively an NMR probe vendor, it serves the same high-field NMR/MRI research community and supplies complementary cryogenic and superconducting components.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DotyScientific
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/doty-scientific

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Doty Scientific