Spalding studied physics and mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis, graduating in 1983.
[1] Seven years later, he completed a doctorate in applied physics at Harvard University.
[1][2] In 1996, Spalding joined the Illinois Wesleyan University faculty as a Professor of Physics.
The SPIE and American Physical Society both elected him to fellow status.
[3][4] The APS additionally awarded Spalding the Jonathan F. Reichert and Barbara Wolff-Reichert Award for Excellence in Advanced Laboratory Instruction,[5] and the American Association of Physics Teachers named him one of four recipients of its Homer L. Dodge Citations for Distinguished Service that year.