Past Seminars & Events

Professor Troy Van Voorhis
Department of Chemistry
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Electron and Energy Transfer in Molecules and Materials

Electronic reactions play a key role in understanding a host of physical processes – electron transfer reactions that power electrochemistry, energy transfer reactions that drive photosynthesis and electron spin dynamics that govern magnetism, just to name a few. In this talk, we will discuss how the “reactant” and “product” states for these types reactions can be clearly defined using the electron density as the fundamental variable. In particular, we will highlight the utility of diabatic electronic states in qualitatively and quantitively describing these fascinating systems. We will show how this picture leads to a unified description of electron transfer in photochemistry, energy transfer in molecular devices and singlet fission in solar cells.

Troy Van Voorhis

Dr. Troy Van Voorhis is the Haslam and Dewey Professor of Chemistry at MIT, where he currently serves as department head. His research focuses on electronic structure theory, with particular focus on electronic excited states and photochemical dynamics. Prof. Van Voorhis received his B.A. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Rice University, his PhD in Chemistry from UC Berkeley and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. Prof. Van Voorhis is an NSF CAREER Fellow, a David and Lucille Packard Fellow, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow and was awarded MIT’s School of Science Prize for Excellence in Graduate Teaching.

Host: Professor Kade Head-Marsden

Professor Sarah Reisman
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
California Institute of Technology

Prof. Reisman will deliver a series of three talks, all of which will take place in 331 Smith Hall:

• Talk 1:  November 11th, 9:45 a.m.  
• Talk 2: November 12th, 4:00 p.m.  
• Talk 3: November 13th, 9:45 a.m.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention: Natural Products and the Chemistry They Inspire

The microbes and plants of the natural world are master chemists, producing secondary metabolites that disarm their enemies and confer evolutionary advantages for survival. These natural products, which include well-known therapeutic agents such as penicillin and taxol, serve not only as medicines but also as powerful tools to probe human biology. At the same time, their structural complexity provides an inspiring platform for advancing the frontiers of synthetic chemistry.   

Our group is engaged in the total synthesis of several architecturally intricate natural products, with a particular emphasis on developing new convergent fragment-coupling and annulation strategies. The densely functionalized frameworks of these molecules, rich in heteroatoms and stereogenic centers, continually challenge the limits of current synthetic technology and motivate the invention of new synthetic methods.   

Over three lectures, I will share results from both our natural product synthesis and our methods development projects. My first seminar will highlight recent advances from our laboratory in the total synthesis of diterpenes, highlighting the application of modern transition metal catalysis in total synthesis. My second seminar will describe our recent work on the development of Ni-catalyzed asymmetric reductive cross-coupling. My third seminar will detail our recent forays into reductive Sm catalysis, including new avenues for asymmetric catalysis.

Sarah Reisman

Professor Sarah Reisman earned a BA in Chemistry from Connecticut College in New London, CT and her Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University. Following postdoctoral research at Harvard University, in 2008, Sarah joined the faculty at the California Institute of Technology where she is now the Bren Professor of Chemistry and the Norman Davidson Leadership Chair for the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Research in the Reisman laboratory seeks to advance the science of chemical synthesis. Reisman is recognized as a leader in the area of natural product synthesis, where her group has contributed new strategy-driven approaches to biologically active molecules. Reisman is an editorial board member at Organic Syntheses and an associate editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Reisman has been recognized with several awards for teaching and research, including an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, a Cottrell Scholar Award, the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, the Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award, the ACS Elias J. Corey Award, and the Mukaiyama Award.

Host: Professor Ian Tonks

Professor Daniel Kim
College of Science and Technology
Temple University

Applications of Acetal Radicals in Organic Synthesis

The Kim Research Group has been investigating new light-driven reactions to develop rapid synthesis to a variety of important bioisostere building blocks. Currently, we are especially interested in acyl and acetal radicals and their use in organic synthesis and their potential applications to new materials and pharmaceuticals.

Daniel Kim

Daniel grew up local to Philadelphia in Horsham, Pennsylvania. He earned a B.S. degree in Chemistry at Gettysburg College working with Professor Timothy Funk on Pd- and Fe-catalyzed oxidation reactions. In graduate school he gained valuable research experience with Professor Vy Dong working on Rh- and Co-catalyzed hydroacylation reactions at the University of California, Irvine. Daniel moved back across the country to join Professor Dave MacMillan at Princeton University as a postdoctoral research fellow working on photoredox-catalyzed bioconjugation reactions. He joined Temple’s Research Faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2020 where he has initiated a research program developing new reagents to solve challenges in organic synthesis.

Hosted by Professor Christopher Douglas

Professor Prashanth Poddutoori
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Minnesota–Duluth

Host: Professor David Blank

Professor Tom Varburg
Department of Chemistry
Macalester College

Host: Michael Harris

Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
Department of Chemistry
Carnegie Mellon University

Nanostructured Functional Materials by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Advanced nanostructured functional materials were designed and prepared using ATRP (atom transfer radical polymerization) with ppm amounts of copper-based catalytic systems. ATRP of acrylates, methacrylates, styrenes, acrylamides, acrylonitrile and other vinyl monomers was controlled by various external stimuli, including electrical current, light, mechanical forces also in water and open air. ATRP was employed for synthesis of polymers with precisely controlled molecular architecture with designed shape, composition and functionality. Block, graft, star, hyperbranched, gradient and periodic copolymers, molecular brushes and various hybrid materials and bioconjugates were prepared with high precision. These sustainable polymers can be used as components of advanced nanostructured functional materials for applications related to environment, energy, healthcare and catalysis.

Krzysztof Matyjaszewski

Kris Matyjaszewski is J.C. Warner University Professor of Natural Sciences and director of the Center for Macromolecular Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. In 1994, he discovered Cu-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization, commercialized in 2004 in US, Japan and Europe. He synthesized many advanced materials for biomedical, environmental, and energy-related applications. He has co-authored >1,350 publications, (>210,000 citations, h-index 218) and 72 US patents. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, European, Australian, Polish, Hungarian, and Georgian Academies of Sciences. He received 2023 NAS Award in Chemical Sciences, 2021 Grand Prix de la Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie, France, 2017 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry, 2015 Dreyfus Prize in Chemical Sciences, 2011 Wolf Prize in Chemistry, 2009 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, 5 major Awards from the American Chemical Society, and thirteen doctorates honoris causa.

Host: Professor Jessica Lamb

Professor De-en Jiang
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Department of Chemistry
Vanderbilt University

Machine Learning in Chemistry: From Structure Prediction to Ion Dynamics

What to learn and what to predict are central questions facing chemists as we seek to leverage recent advances in machine learning for our research. In this talk, I will discuss how my group addresses these questions in the area of computational materials chemistry, with a focus on nanocatalysis and energy storage. Through two case studies, I will illustrate the power of machine learning: first, how deep neural networks can locate hydrides in copper– hydride nanoclusters in lieu of neutron scattering to solve their total structures, which allows us to establish the structure-activity-selectivity relationships in their unique capabilities in reduction reactions such as CO2 reduction; and second, how machine learning interatomic potentials or force fields enable us to probe superionic Li transport in amorphous materials and to predict new solid electrolytes for solid-state Li batteries. Across these two examples, you will see the close interplay of experiment, density functional theory, and machine learning. I argue, and hope to convince you, that this trinity will shape the next decade of predictive modeling in chemistry.

De-en Jiang

De-en Jiang holds the H. Eugene McBrayer Chair in Chemical Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Vanderbilt University as well as a courtesy appoint in the Department of Chemistry. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry from Peking University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2005 from UCLA. Following his graduate studies, he worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, first as a postdoctoral researcher and in 2006 as a staff scientist. In 2014, he joined the University of California, Riverside (UCR), where he served as a Professor of Chemistry and a cooperating faculty member in both Chemical & Environmental Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. In July 2022, he transitioned to Vanderbilt University. Dr. Jiang’s research centers on computational materials and chemistry, with a focus on applications in energy and the environment. His contributions to the field have been recognized with honors including the DOE Early Career Award and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Jiang’s scholarly influence is reflected in his recognition as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in both 2023 and 2024. In addition to his research achievements, he is the Chair-Elect of the ACS Division of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry and serves as a Senior Editor for The Journal of Physical Chemistry.

Host: Professor Gwendolyn Bailey

Chris Chang
Department of Chemistry
Princeton University

Activity-Based Proteomics: Deciphering Single-Atom Chemical Biology

Within the central dogma of biology, chemical reactions on the living proteome via post- translational modifications can expand the 20,000 linear sequences of proteins translated by the ribosome to millions of proteoforms. Despite their large size, the structure and function of proteins can be profoundly influenced by the addition or subtraction of a single atom at specific amino acid side chains. We are advancing a field of single-atom chemical biology to study the impact of these simplest of post-translational modifications. This presentation will focus on our latest work in protein bioconjugation chemistry as the foundation for activity-based proteomics platforms to profile single-atom chemical biology, such as the reversible addition or removal of single oxygen atoms on the proteome. By providing sequence information on site-specific oxygen marks in cells and animals, such chemical probes can help identify next-generation precision diagnostics and medicines that target redox disease vulnerabilities in cancer and neurodegeneration.

Chris Chang

Chris Chang is the Edward and Virginia Taylor Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University. He completed his B.S. and M.S. at Caltech in 1997, working with Harry Gray, followed by a Fulbright scholar year at the Université Louis Pasteur in 1998 with Jean-Pierre Sauvage. Chris earned his Ph.D. from MIT in 2002 with Dan Nocera and continued his postdoctoral studies at MIT with Steve Lippard. Chris began his independent career at UC Berkeley in 2004 and moved to Princeton in 2024. His laboratory focuses on the study of elements in chemistry and biology, spanning transition metals, reactive oxygen species, and carbon metabolites. The Chang laboratory develops activity-based sensing and proteomics probes to investigate questions in neuroscience, cancer, and metabolic diseases, advancing new concepts that drive biology and medicine such as transition metal signaling, metalloallostery, and metalloplasia. Chris has mentored over 100 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in his laboratory, along with another 90 undergraduates and visiting scholars, with 45 group alumni now leading their own laboratories as independent faculty. 

Host: Rene Boiteau

Chris Chang
Department of Chemistry
Princeton University

Activity-Based Sensing: Leveraging Chemical Reactivity for Selective Biological Imaging

Traditional strategies for developing selective imaging reagents rely on molecular recognition and static lock-and- key binding to achieve high specificity. We are advancing an alternative approach to chemical probe design, termed activity- based sensing, in which we exploit inherent differences in chemical reactivity as a foundation for distinguishing between chemical analytes that are similar in shape and size within complex biological systems. This presentation will focus on our latest work in activity-based sensing approaches to visualize dynamic fluxes of reactive oxygen, sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen species. These chemical probes enable us to reveal new principles of their signal and/or stress contributions to living systems.

Chris Chang

Chris Chang is the Edward and Virginia Taylor Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University. He completed his B.S. and M.S. at Caltech in 1997, working with Harry Gray, followed by a Fulbright scholar year at the Université Louis Pasteur in 1998 with Jean-Pierre Sauvage. Chris earned his Ph.D. from MIT in 2002 with Dan Nocera and continued his postdoctoral studies at MIT with Steve Lippard. Chris began his independent career at UC Berkeley in 2004 and moved to Princeton in 2024. His laboratory focuses on the study of elements in chemistry and biology, spanning transition metals, reactive oxygen species, and carbon metabolites. The Chang laboratory develops activity-based sensing and proteomics probes to investigate questions in neuroscience, cancer, and metabolic diseases, advancing new concepts that drive biology and medicine such as transition metal signaling, metalloallostery, and metalloplasia. Chris has mentored over 100 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in his laboratory, along with another 90 undergraduates and visiting scholars, with 45 group alumni now leading their own laboratories as independent faculty. 

Host: Professor Rene Boiteau

Chris Chang
Department of Chemistry
Princeton University

Transition Metal Signaling, Metalloallostery, and Metalloplasias: Bioinorganic Chemistry Beyond Active Sites 

Metals are key nutrients required across all kingdoms of life, where they are traditionally studied as cofactors in protein active sites. Our laboratory has pioneered new concepts for metals in biology to launch a field of transition metal signaling, where metalloallostery can increase or decrease the activity of a protein by reversible binding to external allosteric sites. Metalloallostery gives rise to metal-mediated cell growth and proliferation processes, which we define as metalloplasias, where copper-dependent cuproplasia and iron-dependent ferroplasia are representative examples. To study metals in their native biological contexts and how they are misregulated in disease, we are developing molecular imaging probes to track dynamic metal pools with spatial and temporal resolution and proteomics probes to characterize metal-dependent targets of cell signaling. This presentation will focus on our latest work in the development of activity-based probes for metals. These reagents enable us to decipher metal-dependent signaling pathways that infuence fundamental behaviors such as eating and sleeping, as well as identify new metal-dependent disease vulnerabilities in cancer, neurodegeneration, and metabolic disorders. 

Chris Chang

Chris Chang is the Edward and Virginia Taylor Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University. He completed his B.S. and M.S. at Caltech in 1997, working with Harry Gray, followed by a Fulbright scholar year at the Université Louis Pasteur in 1998 with Jean-Pierre Sauvage. Chris earned his Ph.D. from MIT in 2002 with Dan Nocera and continued his postdoctoral studies at MIT with Steve Lippard. Chris began his independent career at UC Berkeley in 2004 and moved to Princeton in 2024. His laboratory focuses on the study of elements in chemistry and biology, spanning transition metals, reactive oxygen species, and carbon metabolites. The Chang laboratory develops activity-based sensing and proteomics probes to investigate questions in neuroscience, cancer, and metabolic diseases, advancing new concepts that drive biology and medicine such as transition metal signaling, metalloallostery, and metalloplasia. Chris has mentored over 100 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in his laboratory, along with another 90 undergraduates and visiting scholars, with 45 group alumni now leading their own laboratories as independent faculty. 

Host: Professor Rene Boiteau