Department of Chemistry

Professor Michael Freeman, University of Minnesota “Biosynthetic insights into α-N-methylated peptide natural products” Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) provide biosynthetic routes to peptide modifications not often observed in primary metabolism. We have recently discovered RiPP pathways that install peptide backbone α-N-methylations conferring therapeutically useful peptide properties including membrane permeability, increased target specificity, and […]

Professor Todd Hyster, Cornell University “Photoenzymatic Catalysis - Using Light to Reveal New Enzyme Functions” Enzymes are exquisite catalysts for chemical synthesis, capable of providing unparalleled levels of chemo-, regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivity. Unfortunately, biocatalysts are often limited to the reactivity patterns found in nature. In this talk, I will share my groups efforts to […]

Professor Phillip Milner, Cornell University “Simplifying Synthesis at the Interface of Organic and Materials Chemistry” Porous framework materials, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are highly tunable materials with myriad potential applications ranging from chemical separations to gas storage to catalysis. This is due to the unusual local environment offered by their pores. Herein we will discuss […]

Professor John Lukesh, Wake Forest University “New Investigative Tools for Probing the Chemical Biology of Reactive Sulfur Species” Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been historically dismissed as a highly toxic industrial and environmental pollutant. This limited viewpoint began to shift, however, in the mid 1990s when it was suggested that H2S may play a key role […]

Professor Wei Liu, University of Cincinnati “Copper-Catalyzed Coupling Reactions: Mechanism, Catalysis, and Applications in Life Sciences” Owing to their many attractive characteristics, copper catalysts represent appealing alternatives to precious metal catalysts, although various limitations remain in copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. Recently, we and others recognized that copper catalysis presents a powerful strategy to functionalize sp3 hybridized carbon radicals for […]

Dr. Ryan Weeks, Johns Hopkins University “JHU Green Labs: Fostering a Culture of Sustainability in the Lab” The chemical, petrochemical, and healthcare industries are major contributors to global climate change, accounting for over 5.8% and 4.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions. The millions of labs in these industries produce life-changing breakthroughs, however, the environmental impact […]

Professor Veronica Vaida, University of Colorado “Chemistry in multiple phases and at interfaces in the contemporary and ancient Earth’s atmosphere” Inspired by atmospheric measurements, which have established that atmospheric chemistry occurs in many phases and at interfaces, my group explored the unique reaction environments presented by planetary atmospheres. In this presentation, the special morphological and […]

Professor Mark Levin, University of Chicago “Single Atom Logic for Skeletal Editing” Reactions which can manipulate the connectivity of the molecular skeleton are underexplored as tools for late-stage functionalization, in part because their implementation has been hindered by their often nonintuitive retrosynthetic logic. This presentation will cover transformations discovered in our laboratory which address this challenge by enabling […]

Professor Donna Nelson, University of Oklahoma “My experiences as science advisor to the television show Breaking Bad” Dr. Nelson will discuss her activities as science advisor for Breaking Bad.  This will include her interactions with cast, writers, and crew.  She will describe how the collaboration originated and the impact it had on the show and […]

Professor Itay Budin, University of Chicago, San Diego “How lipid chemistry shapes biology: from the organelles of our cells to the bottom of the earth’s oceans” Small changes in the structure of lipids can have dramatic effects on the properties and dynamics of cell membranes. Our group develops new tools for studying lipid biology and applies them to understanding how […]