News & Events

June 26, 2017
Professor Junichiro Yamaguchi, Waseda University
“Decarbonylative Coupling and Multiple Arylation of Aromatic Molecules”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

June 30, 2017
Professor Burkhard König, University of Regensburg, Germany
“Photoredox catalysis - Organic synthesis with visible light”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

July 31, 2017
Professor Yu Zhao, National University of Singapore
“Catalytic Enantioselective Redox-Neutral Processes for Efficient Chemical Synthesis”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

August 11 & 12, 2017
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Lectures in Organic Chemistry

Friday, August 11, 2017
3:30 PM Refreshments in Merkert Foyer

Professor Michinori Suginome, Kyoto University
“Helical-Polymer-Based Chiral Catalysts for Switch, Amplification, and Transfer of Chirality””
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

Saturday, August 12, 2017
9:30 AM Refreshments in Merkert Foyer

Dr. Daniel R. Fandrick, Senior Principal Scientist, Chemical Development, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals
“Challenges and Opportunities in Process Chemistry: Case Studies in Innovation”
10:00 AM, Merkert 127
11:00 AM Break- Refreshments in Merkert Foyer

Professor Michinori Suginome, Kyoto University
“Catalytic Borylations and C-H Functionalization: Chances and Opportunities”
11:15 AM, Merkert 127

January 31, 2017
Dr. Young-Hoon Ahn, Wayne State University
“Chemical Approaches for Characterizing Protein Glutathionylation” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

February 21, 2017
Professor Bing Xu, Brandeis University
“Self-Assembly of Small Molecules in the Cellular Milieu”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 21-23, 2017
Professor Kevan Shokat, University of California, San Francisco

March 21 
“Chemical Tricks for Drugging the Undruggable”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

March 22 
“Chemical Approaches for Deciphering Kinase Signaling Networks”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127 

March 23 
“Drugs Targeting K-Ras in Cancer”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

March 28, 2017
Professor A.J. Boydston, University of Washington
“Functional Polymeric Materials at Multiple Length Scales”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 11, 2017
Professor Don Tilley, University of California, Berkeley
“High-Valent Metal Species in Water Splitting and Solar Fuels Generation”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 12, 2017
Professor Timothy Donohoe, University of Oxford
“Metal catalysis: new reactions and new opportunities for organic synthesis”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 25, 2017
Professor Mark Gandelman, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Joseph and Partricia Vanderslice Lecturer in Organic Chemistry“New Bonding and Reactivity: Chemistry of N-Cations and N-Radicals”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

April 27, 2017
Professor Sagar Khare, Rutgers University
“Understanding and modulating enzyme stability, specificity and quinary structure using computational protein design”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 28, 2017
Professor Andrew Bocarsly, Princeton University
“Solar Fuels: Designing an Electrocatalytic Interface for the Conversion of CO₂ and H₂O to Fuels”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

May 3, 2017
Dr. Tim Cernak, Merck
“Drug Discovery at Nanomole Scale”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 9, 2017
Dr. Jason Thomas, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
“A chemical biology approach to drug discovery enabled by chemical proteomics”
Refreshments at 2:45 PM
3:00 PM, Merkert 130
Professor Laura L. Kiessling, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Novartis Lecturer
“Microbial Carbohydrates for Health and Disease”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 15, 2017
Professor Jean-Marie Lehn, University of Strasbourg
“Perspectives in Chemistry: From Supramolecular Chemistry towards Adaptive Chemistry”
2:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 16, 2017
Dr. Jordan L. Meier, National Cancer Institute-Frederick
“Profiling acetyltransferases to understand cancer’s metabolic cues”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 17, 2017
Professor Ming Lee Tang, University of California, Riverside
“A hybrid molecular-nanocrystal platform for photon upconversion”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 30, 2017
Professor Li Deng, Brandeis University
“Activation of Nucleophiles for Asymmetric Reactions with Organic Molecules”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

September 8, 2016
Strem Lectureship
Professor Dean Toste, University of California - Berkeley
“Catalytic Organic Reaction Inspired by the Organometallic Chemistry of Gold”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

September 9, 2016
Merck Symposium
Dr. David Thaisrivongs, Merck
“The development of a commercial manufacturing route for verubecestat, a BACE1 inhibitor for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease” 
3:15 - 4:15 PM, Merkert 127
Professor Masakatsu Shibasaki, Macrobial Chemistry Research Foundation
“Recent Progress in Cooperative Asymmetric Catalysis”
4:25 - 5:40 PM, Merkert 127

September 13, 2016
Professor Michelle Meyer, Boston College - Biology Department
“Changes in Molecular Recognition Over Time: Evolution and Reinvention of RNA-Protein Interfaces”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

September 15, 2016
Professor Thomas W. Hamann, Michigan State University
“Molecular and Material Approaches for Solar Energy Conversion and Storage”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

September 20, 2016
Professor Karen Wooley, Texas A+M University
“Translation of fundamental chemistry to functional nanoscopic macromolecules designed for advanced applications”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

September 22, 2016
Professor Chia-Kuang (Frank) Tsung, Boston College
“Controlled Encapsulation of Catalysts in Nanoporous Materials”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

September 27, 2016
Professor Bill DeGrado, UCSF
“Structure and Pharmacological Inhibition of the Proton Channel from Influenza A Virus”
3:30 PM, Merkert 130

September 29, 2016
Professor Yogesh Surendranath, MIT
“Graphite-Conjugated Catalysis”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

October 4, 2016
Professor Michael Doyle, University of Texas - San Antonio
“Asymmetric Cycloaddition Reactions with Metal Carbenes”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

October 6, 2016
Professor Jeffery Byers, Boston College
“Dynamic and Switchable Iron-Based Polymerization Catalysts”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

October 18, 2016
Professor Timothy Swager, MIT
“Dynamic Droplets”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

October 27, 2016
Professor Dehua Pei, Ohio State University
“Drugging Undruggable Targets with Cyclic Peptides”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 1, 2016
Professor Sunny Zhou, Northeastern University
“Meet the Challenge of Discovering Unknowns: Functional Proteomics, Protein Crosslinking and Modifications of Biotherapeutics”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 3, 2016
Professor Michael Janik, Penn State University
“Development of electrocatalytic materials guided by computational chemistry:  fuel cells and CO₂ electroreduction”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 9, 2016
Professor Stéphane Roche, Florida Atlantic University
“Chasing Forgotten Reactions: Novel Synthetic Strategies towards Unnatural Peptide and Terpene-based Natural Products”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 10, 2016
Professor Bryan McCloskey, University of California, Berkeley
“Li-air batteries: O₂ electrochemistry in Li ion-bearing nonaqueous electrolytes”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 15, 2016
Professor Kristian Strømgaard, University of Copenhagen
“Targeting Protein-Protein Interaction”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 17, 2016
Professor Huw Davies, Emory University
“Collaborative Approach for C-H Functionalization”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

December 1, 2016
Professor Jing Zhao, University of Connecticut
“Synthesis and optical interaction of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

December 2 & 3, 2016
Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecturer in Organic Synthesis

December 2, 2016
Professor Stephen L. Buchwald, Camille Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry, MIT
“Palladium-Catalyzed Carbon-Heteroatom Bond Formation: From Small Molecules to Bioconjugation”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

December 3, 2016
Dr. Martin Eastgate, Director, Head, Chemical Research, Bristol-Myers Squibb
“Synthetic Evolution and Chemical Innovation in the Synthesis of Complex Pharmaceutical Compounds”
10:00 AM, Merkert 127

Professor Stephen L. Buchwald, Camille Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry, MIT
“Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydroamination and Related Process”
11:15 AM, Merkert 127

February 2, 2016
Professor Felix Fischer, University of California, Berkeley
“Teaching Polymers the Meaning of Life & Nanographene Quantum Confinement”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

February 8, 2016
Professor Jérôme Lacour, University of Geneva
“Stereoselective synthesis & catalysis with metal carbenes”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

February 23, 2016
Professor Gary Molander, UPenn
“Single Electron Transformations to Enable Cross-Couplings”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 1, 2016
Professor Elizabeth Nolan, MIT
“Exploring the Chemistry and Biology of Human Defensin Peptides”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 7, 2016
Professor Joshua Price, Brigham Young University
“Protein and Polymers: How PEG Influences Protein Folding” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 17, 2016
AbbVie Symposium
Dr. Michael Z. Hoemann, AbbVie Bioresearch Center
“Discovery and Optimization of Spleen Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Immunological Diseases”
3:30 PM, Merkert 130

Professor Matthew S. Sigman, The University of Utah
“Enantioselective formation of remote chiral centers” 
4:45 PM, Merkert 130

March 22, 2016
Professor Yu-Shan Lin, Tufts University
“Computational modeling of cyclic peptides”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 28, 2016
Professor Masanari Kimura, Nagasaki University
“Pd-Catalyzed Amphiphilic Allylation Promoted by Organoborane and Efficient Synthesis of Functional Heterocyclic Compounds”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 29, 2016
Professor Jason E. Gestwicki, University of California at San Francisco
“Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions in the Chaperone Network to Tune Protein Folding”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 5, 2016
Professor Jinghua Guo, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
“Insights of Catalytic and Electrochemical Reactions from the In-Situ/Operando Soft X-Ray Spectroscopy”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 6-8, 2016
2016 University Lectures in Chemistry
Professor Nate Lewis, California Institute of Technology
April 6  “Artificial Photosynthetic Systems Based on Membrane-Embedded Microwire Arrays”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127
April 7  “Methods to Achieve Chemical Control over the Reactivity, Morphology, Electrical Behavior, and Orientation of Semiconductors”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127 
April 8  “A Conducting Polymer-Based Electronic Nose”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

April 14, 2016
Professor José N. Onuchic, Rice University
“From structure to function: the convergence of structure based models and co-evolutionary information”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 3, 2016
Professor Cliff Stains, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
“Chemical Approaches for Interrogating Cellular Processes”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 4, 2016
Professor Neal Mankad, University of Illinois, Chicago
“Catalytic Transformations That Utilize Bimetallic Cooperativity”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 6, 2016
Professor Shannon Boettcher, University of Oregon
“Oxygen Electrocatalysis and Solar Water Splitting Interfaces” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 10, 2016
Professor Brian Shoichet, UCSF
“Structure-based discovery of novel GPCR ligands with novel pharmacology” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 129

May 11, 2016
Professor Guangbin Dong, University of Chicago
“C–C and C–H Functionalization of Ketones” 
2:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 25, 2016
Professor Darren J. Dixon, University of Oxford
“Catalytic Approaches to Simplifying Synthesis” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

June 7, 2016
Professor Christina White, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2016 Joseph and Patricia Vanderslice Lecturer in Chemical Synthesis
“The Functionalization of C-H Bonds”
3:30 PM Refreshments in Merkert Foyer
4:00 PM Lecture in Merkert 130

June 23, 2016
Professor Zhengtao Xu, City University of Hong Kong
“Sulfur empowers porous frameworks: sensors, catalysts and a story of bridging the gaps” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

July 15, 2016
Professor Ramesh Giri, University of New Mexico
“Enabling Copper for Cross-Coupling and Tandem Cyclization-Coupling Reactions, and Mechanistic Studies” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

July 21, 2016
Professor Guosheng Liu, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry
“Difunctionalization of Alkenes: Concepts and New Strategy” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

July 22, 2016
Professor Yujiro Hayashi, Tohoku University
“Pot Economy in Total Synthesis” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

August 19 & 20, 2016
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Lectures in Organic Chemistry

August 19, 2016
Professor Makoto Fujita, The University of Tokyo
“Coordination Self-assembly: from a Molecular Square to Giant MnL2n Polyhedra”
3:30 PM Refreshments in Merkert Foyer
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

August 20, 2016
Dr. Jean-Nicolas Desrosiers, Principal Scientist, Chemical Development, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals
“Development of New Methodologies for the Synthesis of Biologically Active Heterocyclic Compounds”
9:30 AM Refreshments in Merkert Foyer
10:00 AM, Merkert 127

11:00 AM Break- Refreshments in Merkert Foyer

October 9, 2015
Dr. Adrian Ortiz, Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecturer in Organic Chemistry
“Development of an Innovative and Stereoselective Synthesis of BMS-986001” 
3:30 PM, Merkert 130

Professor Phil S. Baran, The Scripps Research Institute
“Studies in Natural Product Synthesis” 
4:45 PM, Merkert 130

October 13, 2015
Professor John Hartwig, UC Berkeley
“Selective Catalytic Functionalization of Alkyl and Aryl C-H Bonds”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

October 20, 2015
Professor Rudi Fasan, University of Rochester
“Synthesis and Application of Macrocyclic Organo-Peptide Hybrids for Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 3, 2015
Professor Timothy Jamison, MIT
“Synthesis Design through the Lens of Flow Chemistry”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 6, 2015
Professor Ryan Shenvi, Scripps Research Institute
“Chemical Synthesis of Secondary Metabolites”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 10, 2015
Professor Huiwang Ai, University of California, Riverside
“Molecular Probes for redox signaling and oxidative stress”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

November 18, 2015
Professor Song Jin, University of Wisconsin at Madison
“Solar Energy Conversion and Electrocatalysis Using Earth-Abundant Nanomaterials” 
4:00 PM, Higgins 310

November 19, 2015
Professor Shouheng Sun, Brown University
“Tuning Nanoparticle Catalysis for Nanomedicine and Energy Applications”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

December 1, 2015
Professor Marion Emmert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
“Breaking Strong Bonds: Adventures in Sustainable Chemistry”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

December 3, 2015
Professor Chen Hongyu, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
“Site-Specific Colloidal Synthesis” 
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

June 26, 2015
Professor Kenso Soai, Tokyo University of Science
“Asymmetric Autocatalysis and the Origin of Homochirality”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

August 7 and 8, 2015
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Lectures in Organic Chemistry

Friday, August 7
Professor Jin-Quan Yu
Frank and Bertha Hupp Professor of Chemistry
The Scripps Research Institute
“Ligand-Accelerated C-H Activation Reactions: Near and Far. Redox Chemistry for Catalysis”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

Saturday, August 8
Dr. Joshua Sieber, Boeheringer Ingelheim
“Expedient Scalable Synthesis of Novel P-Chiral Phosphines and Applications to Asymmetric Synthesis”
10:00 AM, Merkert 130

Professor Jin-Quan Yu, The Scripps Research Institute
“Ligand-Accelerated C-H Activation Reactions: Near and Far. Ligand Acceleration”
11:00 AM, Merkert 130

August 20, 2015
Dr. Jun Liu, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
“From Fundamental Materials Chemistry to Energy Systems - Cases for Large Scale Energy Storage”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

September 1, 2015
Professor M.G. Finn, Georgia Tech
“Tailored Virus-Like Particles for Biomedicine and Catalysis”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

September 8, 2015
Novartis Chemical Sciences Symposium
2:30 PM - Refreshments

3:00 PM - Dr. Christopher Brain, Cambridge, MA
“The discovery of Ribociclib (LEE011) a selective CDK4/6 inhibitor for the treatment of cancer”
Merkert 127

4:00 PM - Professor Wilfred van der Donk, University of Illinois
“Biosynthesis of Cyclic Peptide Antibiotics”
Merkert 127

September 17, 2015
Professor Eranthie Weerapana, Boston College
“Chemical-proteomic strategies to investigate reactive cysteines”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

September 19, 2016
Dr. Koh Takeuchi, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo
“Utilization and extension of  solution NMR techniques for biologically and clinically important systems”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

January 13, 2015
Professor Doug Stephan, University of Toronto
“Frustrated Lewis Pairs in Small Molecule Activation and Catalysis”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

January 20, 2015
Professor Brian McNaughton, Colorado State University
“Expanding the Functional Utility of Proteins as Research Tools and Therapeutic Leads”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

February 17, 2015
Professor Alexander Statsuk, Northwestern University
“Biochemistry and Pharmacology of The Ubiquitin System”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 12, 2015
Merck Lectureship in Organic Chemistry
2:30 Reception

Dr. Jared Silverman, Merck
“A History of the Development of Daptomycin: From Bedside to Bench and Back Again”
3:00 PM, Merkert 130

Professor Sarah Reisman, Caltech
“From Alkaloids to Terpenoids: New Strategies and Tactics for the Synthesis of Polycyclic Natural Products”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 17, 2015
Professor Xiang Wang, University Colorado-Boulder
“Bio-Inspired Synthesis of Functional Molecules”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 18, 2015
O'Malley Lecturer Professor Tom Muir, Princeton University
“Houdini Proteins: Discovery and Applications of Ultrafast Inteins”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 19, 2015
Professor Pratap Rao, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
“Efficient and Scalable Solar Materials through Nanoscale Engineering and Flame Synthesis”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 26, 2015
Professor Donghai Wang, Penn. State University
“Understanding Chemical Interaction in Functional Carbon-Sulfur Composites as Cathode for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

March 31, 2015
Professor Paul Chirik, Princeton University
“Base Metal Catalysis: The Interplay of Applications and Electronic Structure”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 1, 2015
Professor Amnon Kohen, University of Iowa
“Enzyme catalysis: From physical to organic chemistry”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 2, 2015
Professor Ron Grimm, WPI Worcestor Polytech Institute
“Methyl-terminated silicon microwire arrays for solar fuels applications: Surface structure, stability, and performance”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 4, 2015 Symposium
Professor Vahe Bandarian, University of Arizona
“Prospecting for new enzymes in RNA modification and secondary metabolism”
3:00 - 4:00 PM, Merkert 130

Professor Ben Shen, The Scripps Research Institute
“Microbial Genomics: New Opportunities for Natural Product Biosynthesis, Engineering, and Drug Discovery”
4:00 - 5:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 7, 2015
Professor Floyd Romesberg, The Scripps Research Institute
“A semi-synthetic organism with an expanded genetic alphabet”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 16, 2015
Professor W. David Wei, University of Florida
“Plasmon-Mediated Surface Chemistry for Solar Photocatalysis”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 21, 2015
Vanderslice Lecturer
Professor Ilan Marek, Technion Israel Institute of Technology
“Remote Functionalization of Hydrocarbons”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

April 22, 23, 24, 2015
Boston College University Lecture Series in Chemistry
Professor John Bercaw, California Institute of Technology
April 22
“Approaches to Selective ;Catalytic Upgrading of Light Hydrocarbons Using Oxidative Routes”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127
April 23
“Light Olefin Trimerization with Chromium and Titanium Catalysts”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127
April 24
“Alpha Olefin Polymerization Catalysis: Stereochemisry, Kinetics, and Kinetic Resolutions”
4:00 PM, Merkert 127

May 4, 2015
Professor Seth Herzon, Yale University
“New Metal-Catalyzed Reactions for Organic Synthesis and the Development of a Synthetic Route to Complex Guanidinium Alkaloids”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130

May 15, 2015
Professor Paramjit Arora, NYU
“Protein Domain Mimetics as Modulators of Protein-Protein Interactions”
4:00 PM, Merkert 130