Aleksandr Khukhovitskiy, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill "Advancing the logic of polymer synthesis, modification, and degradation" Abstract: The polymer backbone is fundamental to the polymer’s identity and properties. My seminar will focus on the development of metathesis mechanisms to access heteroatom-rich polymer backbones, new editing tools to transform existing polymer backbones into different ones, […]

Mingji Dai, Emory University "Chemistry Innovation and Biological Discovery through Natural Product Total Synthesis" Abstract: This talk will focus on our recent efforts in function and efficiency-driven total synthesis of medicinally important natural products. The target molecules include macrolides, alkaloids, and polycyclic diterpenoids. Novel and enabling synthetic strategies and methodologies toward these target molecules will […]

Zahra Fakhraai, University of Pennsylvania "Evolution of Electrode Interfaces During Electrochemistry" Abstract: Photoelectrochemical reactions have emerged as a direct pathway to harvest solar energy for sustainable chemistry. Understanding and controlling the complex microenvironments of solid electrodes or hybrid interfaces of two-dimensional materials is critical for ensuring long-term functionality while optimizing a desired reaction. In this […]

You Zhou, University of Maryland, College Park "Engineering excitons in van der Waals heterostructures" Abstract: Van der Waals heterostructures are formed by stacking atomically thin layers of 2D materials, creating nanoscale “sandwiches”. This architecture offers unprecedented flexibility in designing heterostructures, enabling access to new regimes of light–matter interaction. In this talk, I will present approaches […]

Seth Cohen, University of California, San Diego "A Metal-organic Framework ‘String-Along'" Abstract: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of inorganic-organic porous solids that have been of interest for a wide range of potential applications from energy to medicine.  October 8, 2025 was an exciting day for the MOF community, where these materials (or more specifically […]

Kirk Peterson, Washington State University "Relativistic composite methods for accurate thermochemistry and spectroscopy of actinide-containing molecules" Abstract: Over the last several years the Feller-Peterson-Dixon (FPD) method, which can routinely obtain bond dissociation energies and other thermochemical properties to within chemical accuracy (1 kcal/mol) or better for molecules containing main group elements, has been modified to […]