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Each year, invited speakers are welcomed to our Department to present their research to our community. Please join us in these engaging research talks on an exciting array of topics. 

Campus maps are available, and for visitors driving to campus we suggest using the University Hospital visitor parking garage.

Invited Speakers

2023-2024 Speakers (Posted in chronological order - scroll down for upcoming speakers)

2023/09/20
Alexandra Velian, University of Washington
Topic Area: Materials
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Paul Ragogna 

2023/09/26
David Giedroc, Indiana University
Topic Area: Chem. Biol.
Time: 10:30 am
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Martin J. Stillman 

2023/09/26
Colin Bonduelle, University of Bordeaux
Topic Area: Materials and Biomaterials
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 9
Host: Prof. Beth Gillies 

2023/09/27
Xuchun Wang, de Mayo Award Talk
Topic Area: General
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. T.K. Sham 

2023/10/11
Erin Leitao, U Auckland
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Johanna Blacquiere 

2023/10/18
Stefania Impellizzeri, TMU (Two talks: Research + EDI)
Topic Area: Materials, General
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Francois Lagugne-Labarthet 

2023/10/25
Tim Storr, SFU
Topic Area: Chem. Biol., Synthesis
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Martin J. Stillman 

2023/10/26
Kenneth Maly, Wilfrid Laurier University
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: P&AB 106
Host: Prof. Joe Gilroy 

2023/11/15
Justin Lomax, G. Michael and Joan Bancroft Award Seminar
Topic Area: Materials / General
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Paul J. Ragogna

2023/11/22
Jake Magolan, McMaster
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Michael A. Kerr 

2023/12/06
Gilles Arsenault, Western Chemistry Adjunct Professor
Topic Area: General
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Joe B. Gilroy

2024/03/06
David Lacy, U Buffalo
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Johanna Blacquiere 

Previous Talks, by academic year.

2022/09/07
Dajana Vuckovic, Concordia, PhD External
Topic Area: Chemical Biology
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Ken Yeung

2022/09/21
Jeremy May, UT Houston (shared with Brock, McMaster)
Title: Electrophilic Deborylations in Synthesis   
Topic Area: Synthesis

Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Michael A. Kerr

2022/09/27
Hiroharu Ajiro, NAIST
Title: Molecular design for functional polymers using trimethylene carbonate with ester free structure
Topic Area: Materials
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Elizabeth R. Gillies 

2022/10/12
Joe Gilroy, Chem Research Award Seminar
Title: Probing the Relationship Between the Structure, Bonding, and Optoelectronic Properties of Boron Formazanate Heterocycles
Topic Area: General
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Johanna M. Blacquiere 

2022/10/20
Bruce Arndtsen, McGill
Title: Alternative Energetic Drivers for Metal Catalyzed Coupling Reactions 
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 2:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Johanna M. Blacquiere 

2022/10/25
David Emslie, McMaster 
Title: From Alkyl to Silyl, Silylene and Silene Complexes of Manganese
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 3:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Johanna M. Blacquiere 

2022/11/02
Sanjib Patra
Title: Wire-like Ru(II)-Alkynyl Organometallic Complexes with π-Conjugated Bridging Backbone  
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 9:30 am
Room: Remote - Zoom
Host: Prof. Joe B. Gilroy

2022/11/09
Huck Grover, MUN
Title: C–H Functionalization and Catalytic Cascade Reactions in the Synthesis of Heterocycles
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Michael A. Kerr 

2022/11/16
JP Lumb, McGill
Title: Studying Biosynthetic Aerobic Oxidations under Redox Neutral Conditions: Recent Lessons from Lignan and Melanin Biosynthesis
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 10:30 am
Room: ChB 9
Host: Prof. Kim Baines

2022/11/16
Andrew Beharry, UofT Mississauga
Title: Light-Responsive Probes: Guiding Clinician Decision-Making and Destroying Cancer
Topic Area: Chemical Biology
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Robert H.E. Hudson 

2022/11/23
Paul Johnson, Laval
Title: Richardson-Gaudin Wavefunctions for Strong Correlation in Chemistry
Topic Area: Theoretical
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Viktor N. Staroverov 

22/12/06
Ian Coulthard Senior Scientist, Canadian Light Source
Title: The Canadian Light Source: How a 3rd Generation Fish Can Swim and Thrive in a 4th Generation Pond
Topic Area: General
Time: 10:30am
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. T.K. Sham

2022/12/07
Adyn Melenbacher, Bancroft Award Seminar
Topic Area: General
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Martin J. Stillman 

2022/01/11
Stella Constas, Chem Research Award (2021) Seminar
Topic Area: General
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Johanna M. Blacquiere 

2022/02/08
Zac Hudson, UBC
Topic Area: Materials
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Joe B. Gilroy 

2023/03/01
Drew Higgins, McMaster 
Topic Area: Materials
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Samantha Gateman 

2023/03/08
Louise Dawe, Wilfred Laurier
Topic Area: Synthesis
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Joe B. Gilroy 

2023/03/15
Rustam Khaliullin, McGill
Topic Area: Theoretical
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Viktor N. Staroverov 

2023/03/22
Avena Ross, Queens 
Topic Area: Chem. Biol.
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: ChB 115
Host: Prof. Johanna M. Blacquiere 

2023/05/10
Jeffery Van Humbeck, U Calgary
Topic Area: Synthesis 
Time: 1:30 pmRoom: ChB 115Host: Prof. Johanna M. Blaquiere
 
2023/05/24
Mathew Willans, Western University
Topic Area: NMR
Time: 1:30 pmRoom: ChB 9Host: Prof. Johanna M. Blaquiere

2021-2022 Speakers

2021/8/25
The 2021 Bancroft Award Lecture
Kenneth Chu 
Title: Investigating and Optimizing the Performance of Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells Based on Graphene Quantum Dots
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host: Prof. Zhifeng Ding

2021/10/13
Christopher Thibodeaux (Assistant Professor of Chemistry, McGill University)
Title: Revealing the Mechanistic Roles of Enzyme Conformational Dynamics with Structural Mass Spectrometry
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host: Prof. Lars Konermann

2021/10/20
2020 Paul de Mayo Award Winner
Dr. Vanessa Beland (Postdoctoral Researcher, York University Dept of Chemistry)
Title: Tandem Work Towards Organic Electrodes & an Independent Career in Chemistry
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host:  Prof. Paul J. Ragogna

2021/10/27
Darryl Klassen (Lab Manager, 3M Safety & Graphics Business)
Title: “3M Corporate Overview” followed by “Career Insights for Industry from a Western Chemistry Grad"
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host: Prof. Johanna Blacquiere

2021/11/17
Dr. Isha DeCoito (Faculty of Education, Wester University)
Title: Preparation and Inspiration – Integrative STEM Education in the 21st Century
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host: Prof. Yolanda Hedberg

2021/11/24
Dr. Athina Anastasaki (Assistant Professor in Department of Materials, ETH Zurich)
Title: Tuning Molecular Weight Distributions By ATRP And RAFT: A Discussion
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host: Prof. Joe Gilroy

2021/12/01
Dr. Annemieke Farenhorst (Associate Dean, Research for the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Manitoba)
Title: Assessments of Pesticide Mixtures in a Less Diverse Academy
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host: Prof. Kim Baines

2021/12/08
Dr. Gilles Arsenault (Arlanxeo)
Title: Post-functionalization of Synthetic Polymers of Interest to the Auto Industry
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host: Prof. Joe Gilroy

2022/02/16
2021 Paul de Mayo Award Lecture
Dr. Victor Yin (Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research)
Title: Single Particle Mass Measurement Methods: Weighing in on SARS-CoV-2/Antibody Interactions
Time: 11:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host: Prof. Lars Konermann

2022/02/23
Seán Barry (Chemistry, Carleton University)
Title: Atomic Layer Depsition, It's Just Like Chemistry 
Time: 1:30 pm
Room: Zoom
Host: Prof. Paul J. Ragogna

2020-2021

2020/10/14
Distinguished CAMBR Lectureship
Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, Carnegie Mellon University 
Title:  ATRP: More active than dormant

2020/10/28
Dr. Ranjith Divigalpitiya
Title: Two-Dimensional Materials @ 3M: A retrospective of an industrial scientist

2020/11/11
The 2020 Bancroft Award Lecture
Dr. Vinicius dos Santos
17O solid-state NMR at 35.2 T: Ultrahigh spectral resolution unlocks ultrafine information on oxygen environments in MOFs

2020/11/18
Professor Chenguang Fan, University of Arkansas
Genetic code expansion in protein acetylation studies

Date:  2020/12/02
Professor Kalaichelvi (Kalai) Saravanamuttu, McMaster University
Title: Polymer microstructures that see and think: configuring enhanced fields of view and computational ability in soft materials.

Date: 2020/12/09
The 2019 Paul de Mayo Award Lecture
Dr. Ryan R. Maar, The Dow Chemical Company
Title: Chromium-Catalyzed Ethylene Tetramerization Using Phospholane-Based Ligands

2021/02/03
Prof. Anna Klinkova (Deparment of Chemistry, University of Waterloo)
Title: Nanoscale catalysts and electrocatalytic transformations for CO 2 utilization

2021/02/24
Prof. Robert J. Gilliard, Jr. (Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia)
Title: Electronic Tuning in the Main-Group: From Subvalent Organometallics to Novel π-Electron Materials

2019-2020

Past Seminars: 2019 - 2020

2019/07/12
Professor Stephen Westcott, Mount Allison University
A Life in Boron Chemistry

2019/07/23
Professor Zhen Liu, Menten Lecturer, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Advanced Molecularly Imprinted Materials for Affinity Separation, Disease Diagnosis, Single-Cell Analysis, Bioimaging and Cancer Therapy

2019/07/26
Professor Uwe Bergmann, Stanford University
New Science Opportunities at X-ray Free Electron Lasers

2019/08/07
Professor Ralf Schirrmacher, University of Alberta

Silicon Fluoride Receptor Radiochemistry: From bench to bedside in 15 years

2019/09/04
Professor Michael S. Silverstein, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
Accessing Innovative Porous Polymers through Emulsion Templating

2019/09/18
Professor Terry W. Moore, University of Illinois
Optimization of Isoquinoline-based Activators of the Transcription Factor NRF

2019/10/15
Professor Daniel A. Foucher, Ryerson University
Datively Bound Rigid and Flexible Hypercoordinate Polystannanes

2019/10/16
Professor Aaron S. Rury, Wayne State University
Hybrid Molecular Platforms for Next Generation Quantum Technologies: A Rhapsody in Spectroscopy

2019/10/18
Professor Graham K. Murpy, University of Waterloo
Novel Reactivity Mediated by Hypervalent Iodine(III) Reagents

2019/10/21 & 22
Professor Omar Yaghi, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
3M Distinguished Lecturer
LECTURE 1  The Chemistry of Metal-Organic Frameworks
LECTURE 2  Extending Organic Chemistry to Infinite 2D and 3D

2019/11/04
Professor Ashlee J. Howarth, Concordia University
Metal-Organic Frameworks for Adsorption and Detoxification of Hazardous Analytes

2019/11/13
Professor Erin R. Johnson, Dalhousie University
Dispersion Interactions in DFT and Application to Molecular Crystal-Structure Prediction

2019/11/18
Professor Elizabeth (Beth) R. Gillies, Chemistry, Western University
Designing Degradable Polymers:  Biomedical Applications and Beyond" - CRC Vision Talk

2019/11/20
Professor Deryn E. Fogg, University of Ottawa
Frontiers in Catalysis:  From Decomposition, Knowledge

2019/11/27
Professor Lyudmila Goncharova, Western Physics & Astronomy
Ion beams as a synthetic tool for nanoelectronics and beyond

2019/11/29
Professor Mary Ryan, Imperial College London
Nanoparticles and the Environment: Friend or Foe?

2019/12/05
Professor Narasi Sridhar, Ohio State University
Localized Corrosion and Stress Corrosion Cracking of Steel in Alkaline Nitrate-Nitrite Solutions - An Old Problem Revisited

2020/01/08
Professor Jeff A. Reimer, University of Berkeley
NMR and the Grand Challenges of Metal-Organic Frameworks

2020/01/29
Professor David C. Schriemer, University of Calgary
Integrative structural biology using mass spectrometry

2020/02/12
Professor Simon Rondeau-Gagné, University of Windsor
New Strategies for the Design of Stretchable Semiconducting π-Conjugated Polymers 

2020/02/26
Professor Ian Tonks, University of Minnesota
Ti-Catalyzed Nitrene Transfer Reactions: Harnessing the Ti II/Ti IV Redox Couple for New Transformations

2020/03/06
Professor Ashok K. Kakkar, McGill University
Endogenous Stimuli-Responsive Nanoformulations for Spatial Drug Delivery

2020/03/9 
Jian Wang, Editor, M.Sc.
Life Perspectives  from a Veteran Synthetic Chemist: Writing Your Research in English 

2020/03/11
Professor Jeremy Rawson, University of Windor, Student Invited Speaker
Radicals: From pancake bonds to multi-functional materials

The following seminars were cancelled due to COVID-19.

2020/03/18  Professor Sanela Martic, Trent University

2020/03/25  Professor Jeremy May, University of Houston

2020/03/31  Professor Zachary Hudson, University of British Columbia

2020/04/01  Professor Rustam Z. Khaliullin, McGill University

2020/04/15  Professor Farshid Ramezanipour, University of Louisville

2020/04/30  Professor Jens Dilling, TRIUMPF

2018-2019

Past Seminars: 2018 - 2019

Date - Speaker

2018/09/20Professor Scott Hopkins, University of Waterloo

2018/09/28Professor Alison Flynn, University of Ottawa

2018/10/03  - Dr. Mathew Willans

2018/10/16 Professor William R. Smith, University of Guelph

2018/11/02 Professor Ian Burgess, University of Saskatchewan

2018/11/14 Professor Jean-Michel Nunzi, Queen's University

2018/11/20Professor Leonard R. MacGillivray, University of Iowa  

2018/12/05Professor Robert G. Kelly, University of Virginia

2018/12/11Professor Janine Mauzeroll, McGill University

2018/12/14Professor Anne Petitjean, Queen's University

2019/01/16Professor Andrew Nelson, Western Anthropology

2019/01/09 Dr. Styliani Consta

2019/02/06 Professor Paul Zimmerman, University of Michigan

2019/02/26 Professor Molly Shoichet, University of Toronto [Student-Nominated Speaker]

2019/03/13Professor Joaquín Rodríguez-López, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2019/03/20Professor Sophie Rousseaux, University of Toronto

2019/03/21Professor Geraint Williams, College of Engineering, Swansea University

2019/03/27Professor Scott Kroeker, University of Manitoba

2019/04/17 Professor Warren E. Piers, University of Calgary

2019/04/22Dr. Camilla Stitt, Imperial College London, Shell-Imperial Advanced Interfacial Science Centre

2019/05/16Professor Angela Casani, Cardiff University

2019/05/30Professor Don Spratt, Menton Lecture, Clark University

2019/06/10Professor Huangxian Ju, Nanjing University

2019/06/13  - Dr. Gregory Wallace  [ 2018 Paul de Mayo Award Winner]

2019/06/14 Professor Tebello Nyokong, Rhodes University

2019/06/17 Professor Alex Adronov, McMaster University

2019/06/19Professor Renato Zenobi, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

2017-2018

Past Seminars: 2017 - 2018

2017/09/06 - Professor Dongping Zhan, Xiamen University

2017/09/12Prof. Sylvain Canesi, Université du Québec à Montréal

2017/09/13Dr. Preston Chase, GreenCentre Canada

2017/09/15Professor Tong Leung, University of Waterloo

2017/10/04Professor Randall S. Dermont, McMaster University

2017/10/18Professor Thomas Baumgartner, York University

2017/11/01Professor Tim Newhouse, Yale University

2017/11/08Professor Zhehong Gan, The National High Magnetic Field laboratory, (MagLab)

2017/11/09Professor Charles L.B. MacDonald, University of Windsor

2017/11/14Professor Howard Alper, University of Ottawa

2017/11/22Professor Philip Britz-McKibbin, McMaster University

2017/11/29Professor Gerhard Erker, Universität Münster - Cancelled due to weather

2017/12/11Professor Aaron Rossini, Iowa State University

2017/12/12Dr. Ian Coulthard, Canadian Light Source (CLS) [Sponsored by: The Soochow-Western Centre for Synchronton Radiation Rsearch (SWC) and the Department of Chemistry ]

2018/01/10 Dr. Björn Baumeier, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands

2018/01/17Professor Caleb Martin, Baylor University

2018/01/24Professor Cathleen Crudden, Queen's University

2018/02/07Professor Ilja Siepmann, University of Minnesota

2018/02/27Professor Dr. Alex Speed, Dalhousie University

2018/02/28Professor Tamara L. Hendrickson, Wayne State University

2018/03/01Professor Tadeja Kosec, Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute

2018/03/07Professor Robert E. Campbell

2018/03/13Professor Gerhard Erker, Universität Münster

2018/03/28Professor Jochen Autschbach, University at Buffalo, State University of New York

2018/04/04Professor Suning Wang, Queen's University

2018/04/11Mr. Kevin Seguin, CAS International Representative

2018/05/09 - Professor Nagao Kobayashi, Shinshu University, Ueda 386-8567, Japan

2018/05/23 - Dr. Stephanie Barbon, University of California, Santa Barbara [The 2017 Paul de Mayo Award Winner]

2018/06/04Professor Mike Pluth, University of Oregon

2018/06/06Professor Henrik Ottosson, Uppsala University, Sweden

2018/06/14 - Dr. Joakim Halldin Stenlid, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

2018/07/04Professor Jason L. Dutton, La Trobe University, Melbourne (Bundoora), Australia

2018/07/19Professor Jeffrey W. Keillor, University of Ottawa

2018/07/30Dr. Robert Matthew Asmussen, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

2018/08/02 - Professor Ulrich W. Fekl, University of Toronto, Mississauga

2018/08/14 - Professor Eric Price, University of Saskatchewan

 

2016-2017

Past Seminars: 2016 - 2017

Dates - Speaker

2016/07/25 -  Professor Xiujuan Zhang, FUNSOM, Soochow University, China

2016/08/22Professor Stefan France, Georgia Institute of Technology

2016/08/23 Professor Sasha Omanovic, McGill University

2016/09/06 Professor Louis Barriault, University of Ottawa

2016/09/06 Professor Yi-Tao Long, East China University of Science and Technology

2016/09/22 -   Professor Mats Jonsson, Applied Physical Chemistry, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

2016/09/28 -   Professor Heming He, State Power Investment Central Research Institute, Beijing and Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang

2016/09/28 -   Professor Mark S. Taylor, University of Toronto

2016/10/05 -   Dr. Mathew Willans,   Western Chemistry NMR Facility

2016/10/24 -   Professor Jonathan G.C. Veinot, University of Alberta

2016/10/26 -   Professor Neil Burford, University of Victoria

2016/11/02 -   Dr. Valérie Gabelica, Inserm/CNRS/Universite de Bordeaux, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, Pessac, France

2016/11/03 -   Professor Alex Brown, University of Alberta

2016/11/09 -   Professor Dwight Seferos, University of Toronto

2016/11/23 -   Professor John D. Brennan, McMaster University

2016/11/29 -   Professor Blanca Martin Vaca, Université Paul Sabatier and CNRS, Toulouse, France

2016/11/30 -   Professor Laura B. Sagle, University of Cincinnati

2016/12/09 -   Professor Martin T. Lemaire, Brock University

2016/12/12 -   Professor Micheal A. Brook, McMaster University

2016/12/12 -   Professor Mahalingam Balasurbramanian

2016/12/14 -   Professor Daniel A. Foucher, Ryerson University  

2017/01/04 -   Professor Dong-Ping Zhan

2017/01/24 -   Dr. Floryan Decampo,   Solvay Specialty Polymers

2017/02/08 -   Professor David A. Kofke, University of Buffalo

2017/02/28 -   Professor Steen Brian Schougaard, Universite du Quebec a Montreal

2017/03/08 -   Professor Scott Bohle, Mc

2017/03/22 -   Professor Dominika Zgid, University of Michigan

2017/03/27 -   Professor Connie C. Lu, University of Minnesota

2017/04/05 -    Professor Robin Hicks, University of Victoria

2017/04/19 Professor Jean-Paul Desaulniers, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

2017/05/16 &  2017/05/15 -   Professor James M. Mayer, Yale University  The 3M University Lecturer in Chemistry 2017]

2017/05/23 -   Professeur Nordin Félidj, Université Paris Diderot

2017/05/24 &  2017/05/23 -   Professor Michael Sherburn, Australian National University  [ 2017 Fred Pattison Senior Lecturer]

2017/05/25 -   Dr. Pierangelo Gobbo [ 2016 Paul de Mayo Award Winner]

2017/06/19 -   Professor Frieder Jäkle, Rutgers University-Newark