College of Science » Chemistry-Seminars

TBBC 4630
4th floor Thatcher
In-Person Seminar

Title: New Vista in Native Mass Spectrometry: Impact of Advanced Technologies

Abstract: The research aims focus on development of integrated instrumentation for studies of protein/protein complex dynamics in solution. Lessons learned from Prof. J. Calvin Giddings during my Ph. D graduate studies motivated much of our current research, specifically roles of temperature, solvent (H₂O/D₂O) and co-solutes that alter the dynamics of proteins in solution, including hydrophobic interactions of alkyl ammonium ions with proteins and protein complexes... lessons taught by Prof. J. Calvin Giddings. These research aims motivated our development of variable-temperature-ESI, whereby temperature of the solution contained in the ESI emitter can be accurately varied between 2 – 98^o C. Further motivation... how do solution conditions (H₂O or D₂O) and the presence of cosolutes (native ESI “buffers”) influence dynamics of protein/protein complex dynamics? For decades, we and others have sought answers to Fred McLafferty’s question (PNAS 2008) “...for how long, under what conditions and to what extend, can solution structure be retained without solvent”... caveat...we do not know the solution structure(s)...it’s not a question of structure, its more about dynamics...activated by interactions involving H₂O “...the lubricant of life!” (G. Wilson 1997...and many variants on this theme!).

Speaker Bio: MDS Sciex Professor of Mass Spectrometry in the Departent of Chemistry, Texas A&M University. His research focuses on fundamentals of mass spectrometry, ion mobility-mass spectrometry, analytical and biophysical chemistry. He serves as Director of the Laboratory of Biological Mass Spectrometry and is a principle investigator for the NIH RM1 Center for Mass Spectrometry Guided Structural Biology. His current research emphasizes proteins and protein complexes, which includes development of advanced mass spectrometry methods and technologies for studies of the solution dynamics of proteins and large protein complex (KDa to MDa complexes).

Distinguished Alumni Seminar at the University of Utah
with Stanton F. McHardy, Ken Savin and Lisa A. Wenzler

TBBC 4630
4th floor Thatcher Seminar Room
In-person seminar

Advancement of Novel Small Molecules for Cancer and Cancer Pain Targets: A Medicinal Chemistry Journey
by Stanton F. McHardy

Bio: Research in the McHardy lab and the Center For Innovative Drug Discovery (CIDD) in the Department of Chemistry at UT San Antonio focuses on fundamental chemistry concepts to address important scientific questions found at the interface of chemistry and biology for the purposes of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery research. This presentation will highlight three research vignettes focused on the discovery of novel small molecule drug candidates utilizing structure-based drug design, in silico modeling and docking, scaffold-hopping, convergent syntheses and comprehensive in vitro ADME screening. Therapeutic area focuses include lung and ovarian cancers, glioblastoma multiform and chemotherapy-induced hyperalgesia, on three targeted strategies, including YAP1 (Yes-Associated Protein-1) protein degraders, blood-brain barrier penetrant ER agonists and PKC-epsilon selective inhibitors. With a focus on compound design, synthesis, physicochemical property analysis, in vitro ADME data and iterative structure-activity relationship (SAR) optimization, the seminar will highlight recent advances and outcomes in all three collaborative programs in our efforts to identify suitable drug candidates for IND-enabling studies. 

Analytical Chemistry Seminar at the University of Utah
with Michael Marty, UT-Austin

TBBC 4630
4th floor Thatcher
In-Person Seminar

Title: TBA
by Michael Marty

Abstract: TBA

Host: Gabe Nagy

Inorganic/Material Chemistry Seminar at the University of Utah
with Jakoah Brgoch, University of Houston

TBBC 4630
4th floor - Thatcher
In-person seminar

Title: TBD

Abstract: The development of efficient strategies for the synthesis and diversification of complex
molecules remains a central challenge in organic chemistry. The Ngai laboratory seeks to address this
challenge by developing new approaches to build and modify molecules, with the long-term vision of
turning light into medicine. Our research focuses on the use of visible-light-driven excited-state catalysis
to transiently reprogram molecular reactivity and enable transformations that are difficult to achieve
under conventional ground-state conditions. By combining photochemistry, radical reactivity, and
transition-metal catalysis, we aim to establish general platforms for selective bond construction and
late-stage functionalization of structurally complex molecules. These efforts include the development
of new catalytic strategies for site-selective modification, carbon–heteroatom bond formation, and the
introduction of functional groups relevant to medicinal, agrochemical, and materials chemistry. This
seminar will highlight recent advances from our laboratory illustrating how excited-state catalysis can
enable new strategies for molecular functionalization and provide streamlined access to bioactive
molecular architectures.

Brief Biography: Prof. Ming-Yu Ngai was born in Fujian, China, and grew up in Hong Kong. He received his B.Sc. from the University of Hong Kong in 2003 and his Ph.D. in 2008 under the supervision of Professor Michael Krische at the University of Texas at Austin. He conducted postdoctoral research as a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University with Professor Barry Trost and at Harvard University with Professor Tobias Ritter. Prof. Ngai joined the Department of Chemistry at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2013, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019, and moved to Purdue University as Professor of Chemistry in 2023. The Ngai laboratory develops catalytic platforms for the efficient and selective construction and modification of organic molecules. By combining experimental and computational studies to elucidate reaction mechanisms and reactivity principles, his group designs new catalytic systems and applies them to challenges in organic synthesis, bioorganic chemistry, and medicinal chemistry. His work has been supported and recognized by a number of honors, including the NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA), the NSF CAREER Award, the ACS Young Academic Investigator Award, a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)Fellowship, and the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Chemistry Seminar at the University of Utah
with Ming-Yu Ngai, Purdue University

TBBC 4630
4th floor - Thatcher
In-person seminar

Title: Excited-State Catalysis in Organic Synthesis

Abstract: The development of efficient strategies for the synthesis and diversification of complex
molecules remains a central challenge in organic chemistry. The Ngai laboratory seeks to address this
challenge by developing new approaches to build and modify molecules, with the long-term vision of
turning light into medicine. Our research focuses on the use of visible-light-driven excited-state catalysis
to transiently reprogram molecular reactivity and enable transformations that are difficult to achieve
under conventional ground-state conditions. By combining photochemistry, radical reactivity, and
transition-metal catalysis, we aim to establish general platforms for selective bond construction and
late-stage functionalization of structurally complex molecules. These efforts include the development
of new catalytic strategies for site-selective modification, carbon–heteroatom bond formation, and the
introduction of functional groups relevant to medicinal, agrochemical, and materials chemistry. This
seminar will highlight recent advances from our laboratory illustrating how excited-state catalysis can
enable new strategies for molecular functionalization and provide streamlined access to bioactive
molecular architectures.

Brief Biography: Prof. Ming-Yu Ngai was born in Fujian, China, and grew up in Hong Kong. He received his B.Sc. from the University of Hong Kong in 2003 and his Ph.D. in 2008 under the supervision of Professor Michael Krische at the University of Texas at Austin. He conducted postdoctoral research as a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University with Professor Barry Trost and at Harvard University with Professor Tobias Ritter. Prof. Ngai joined the Department of Chemistry at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2013, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019, and moved to Purdue University as Professor of Chemistry in 2023. The Ngai laboratory develops catalytic platforms for the efficient and selective construction and modification of organic molecules. By combining experimental and computational studies to elucidate reaction mechanisms and reactivity principles, his group designs new catalytic systems and applies them to challenges in organic synthesis, bioorganic chemistry, and medicinal chemistry. His work has been supported and recognized by a number of honors, including the NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA), the NSF CAREER Award, the ACS Young Academic Investigator Award, a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)Fellowship, and the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Physical/ Analytical Chemistry Seminar
with Martin Edwards, University of Arkansas

TBBC 4630
4th floor Thatcher
In-Person Seminar

Title: TBA
by Martin Edwards

Abstract: TBA

TFR Chemistry Seminar
with Ming Hammond, University of Utah

TBBC 4630
4th floor Thatcher
In-Person Seminar

Title: TBA
by Ming Hammond, University of Utah

Abstract: TBA

Martin Chalfie, University Professor and former chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. Full bio: https://chalfielab.biology.columbia.edu/people/martin-chalfie

In 1939, the first director of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Abraham Flexner, wrote an article in Harper's Magazine titled "The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge." Flexner questioned whether our idea of usefulness had become too narrow for the wide-ranging, unpredictable nature of human curiosity, arguing that real discovery happens when scientists are free to explore without needing to justify usefulness in advance. Several Nobel Prizes have gone to discoveries that emerged sideways from what researchers originally set out to study. Chalfie will argue that "useless knowledge" is as necessary today as ever for improving human health and well-being, and will offer thoughts on how we can create space for the unexpected discoveries that drive future scientific breakthroughs.

TFR Chemistry Seminar
with Ryan Looper, University of Utah

TBBC 4630
4th floor Thatcher
In-Person Seminar

Title: TBA
by Ryan Looper, University of Utah

Abstract: TBA

Physical/ Analytical Chemistry Seminar
with Naihao Chiang, University of Houston

TBBC 4630
4th floor Thatcher
In-Person Seminar

Title: TBA
by Naihao Chiang

Abstract: TBA

TBBC 4630
4th floor - Thatcher
In-person seminar

Title
Rethinking Plastics: Molecular Strategies for Sustainable Polymers
 
Abstract
Modern society relies on polymers more than ever, but their production and disposal come at an environmental cost. In this lecture, I will share our work to improve polymer circularity by designing materials for mechanical recycling, creating systems for chemical recycling, and developing sustainable pathways to biodegradable plastics.

Short Biosketch
Geoffrey W. Coates received a B.A. degree in Chemistry from Wabash College in 1989, a Ph.D. in organic chemistry with Robert Waymouth at Stanford University in 1994, and was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow with Robert Grubbs at the California Institute of Technology. He joined the Cornell University faculty in 1997, where he is now the Tisch University Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.  
 
The research focus of the Coates Group is the development of new catalysts for the synthesis of macromolecules and small molecules. Professor Coates' research concentrates on developing new methods for reacting commodity feedstocks in unprecedented ways. His current research centers on the development of homogeneous catalysts for olefin polymerization, heterocycle carbonylation, epoxide homo- and copolymerization, the utilization of carbon dioxide in polymer synthesis, and new polymers for energy conversion and storage.
 
Professor Coates has been awarded the A. C. Cope Scholar Award, the ACS Award in Affordable Green Chemistry, the ACS Award for Polymer Chemistry, the ACS Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success, the ACS Applied Polymer Science Award, and the Carl S. Marvel Creative Polymer Chemistry Award. In 2011 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors in 2017. He was awarded the Eni Award in 2022 and the National Academy of Sciences Award for the Industrial Application of Science in 2023. He is the scientific cofounder of Novomer, Ecolectro, and Intermix Performance Materials, and is an Associate Editor of JACS.

TFR Chemistry Seminar
with Aurora Clark, University of Utah

TBBC 4630
4th floor Thatcher
In-Person Seminar

Title: TBA
by Aurora Clark, University of Utah

Abstract: TBA

TBBC 4630
4th floor Thatcher
In-Person Seminar

Title: Spectroscopy and Scattering Experiments on Flat Liquid Jets

Abstract:
The dynamics of photoexcited solute molecules and the properties of liquid interfaces are studied by carrying out spectroscopy and scattering experiments on flat liquid water jets. In one set of experiments, solute dynamics are probed using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy in which molecules are photoexcited with a femtosecond UV pulse and photoionized with a time-delayed femtosecond XUV pulse (at 21.7 eV). The time-dependent photoelectron spectra provide a unique probe of the relaxation of photoexcited neutral and anionic species in aqueous solution. Results will be presented for several negative ions including phenolate,1 bromophenolate, 2 and nitrophenolate. These experiments probe the competition among the various relaxation pathways including internal conversion, dissociation, and electron ejection.
In complementary experiments, the liquid interface is explored in molecular beam scattering experiments from flat liquid jets of cold salty water (-50 °C, 8 m LiBr). In contrast to cylindrical jets, flat jets provide a large target area and well-defined surface normal, both of which are highly advantageous for scattering experiments. Product angular and translational energy distributions for rare gas and molecular scatterers will be presented.3, 4 The competition between impulsive scattering (IS) and thermal desorption is measured, and the energy loss in the IS channel is characterized using a soft-sphere model. Results are sensitive to both the scatterer identity and its collision energy. Possible effects of surface roughness on the product angular distributions will be discussed.

[1] Kang, D. H.; Basu, J.; Haldar, N.; Koga, M.; Neumark, D. M. Photo-relaxation dynamics of phenolate anions by extreme ultraviolet time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy in liquid jets. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2026, 28, 7754-7765.|
[2] Kang, D. H.; Basu, J.; Haldar, N.; Neumark, D. M. Time-resolved extreme ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy of 4-bromophenotate anions in a liquid jet. Faraday Disc. 2026, DOI: 10.1039/d1036fd00059b.
[3] Yang, W.; Foreman, M. M.; Ly, T. C.; Wilson, K. R.; Neumark, D. M. Molecular beam scattering of neon from flat jets of cold salty water. Chem. Sci. 2025, 16, 11608-11618.
[4] Foreman, M. M.; Yang, W. L.; Ly, T. C.; Wilson, K. R.; Neumark, D. M. Selectivity in gas-liquid interactions: Molecular beam scattering of CD4 and ND3 from an aqueous flat liquid jet. J. Chem. Phys. 2026, 164, 014707.

Biological Chemistry Seminar at the University of Utah
with Danzhou Yang, Purdue University

TBBC 4630
4th floor - Thatcher
In-person seminar

Title: TBD

Abstract: TBD

Biological Chemistry Seminar at the University of Utah
with Kristin Koutmou, University of Michigan

TBBC 4630
4th floor - Thatcher
In-person seminar

Title: TBD

Abstract: TBD