Department of Chemistry

Professor Omar Farha, Northwestern University "Smart and Programmable Crystalline Sponges for Protection From Bench to Market" Abstract: Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous, crystalline materials composed of metal-based nodes and organic ligands that self-assemble into multi-dimensional lattices. In contrast to conventional porous materials such as zeolites and activated carbon, an abundantly diverse set […]

Professor Alexander Sokolov, Ohio State University "Harnessing the Power of Perturbation Theory for Accurate Spectroscopic Simulations of Molecules and Materials" Abstract: Accurate and affordable simulation of how molecules and materials interact with light remains one of the greatest challenges in theoretical chemistry. Modeling photochemical reactions requires quantum mechanical description of the electronic structure in ground […]

Professor William Glover, NYU-ECNU Center for Computational Chemistry at NYU Shanghai "Pushing boundaries: simulations of solvent-supported electronic states" Abstract: Three pillars of theoretical chemistry are quantum mechanics (governing the physics oflight particles, especially electrons), statistical mechanics (providing the connections betweenmicroscopic interactions and macroscopic observables), and chemical dynamics (describing themotions of atoms on potential energy surfaces). […]

Professor Mohammad Seyedsayamdost, Princeton University "Natural Product Discovery and Biosynthesis in the Post-genomic Era" Abstract: Microbial natural products have served as a dominant source of pharmaceutical agents and comprise some of our most celebrated cures. Until the turn of the century, they were identified via tedious 'grind-and-find' approaches, increasingly leading to the re-isolation of old […]

Professor Elizabeth Elacqua, PennState University "Merging Organic Synthetic and Polymer Chemistry: Toward Accelerated Catalysis, Sequence Definition, and Architecturally-Diverse Sp3-Enriched Polymers" Abstract: Efforts to develop synthetic methods that achieve robust materials (e.g., sequenced organic electronics, polymerizable renewable feedstocks, and/or sustainable cooperative catalysis) have generated a need to engineer strategies that merge organic synthesis and polymer chemistry to address grand challenges. Our group’s research is inspired by […]

Professor Luisa Whittaker-Brooks, University of Utah "Chirality-, Ionic-, and Spin- induced electronic transfer in organometal halide semiconductors"  Abstract: Organometal halide semiconductors (OMHS) while highly desirable for a host of applications, present several challenges that remain unresolved, including the ability to control the assembly of the organic and inorganic components and interfaces at the molecular level […]

**CANCELLED - RESCHEDULED DATE AND TIME WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON** Professor Justin Caram, University of California, Los Angeles "Exploring the extremes of excitonic photophysics" Abstract: We investigate the chemical physics that underpins “extreme” excitonic photophysics -- materials with infrared electronic absorption, long-range exciton delocalization/transport, unusually narrow linewidths, and quantum functionality.  In this talk, I will […]