Chemistry

Real-time measurement of local biomolecule concentrations in living tissue requires sensors that are stable, selective and minimally invasive. This seminar examines single-walled carbon nanotubes, whose durable near-infrared fluorescence and sensitivity to their surroundings support optical biosensing. Biopolymer functionalization gives the nanotubes biological compatibility and selectivity for particular molecular targets. Spectroscopy, microscopy and machine-learning-assisted analysis are used to characterize sensor interactions and extract biological information, with applications spanning live-cell imaging, wearable sensing and continuous monitoring.

Liver toxicity can emerge late in drug development when early assays fail to capture human biology, exposure or injury mechanisms. This webinar introduces Axiom’s hepatic profiling approach, combining multicellular liver systems, high-content imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics and ADME measurements. Its reasoning agent integrates those results with partner assays, chemical-series context, exposure estimates and clinical evidence to assess mechanistic liver-safety risks. Rather than using a single cell-toxicity score, the approach develops interpretable, series-specific structure–toxicity hypotheses, compares analogues, ranks compounds and suggests follow-up experiments or structural changes. Performance on established liver-injury reference compounds and newer molecules is examined through case studies, showing how multimodal evidence can inform medicinal-chemistry decisions and predicted therapeutic index.

This talk develops a first-principles description of interacting electrons, nuclei and electromagnetic fields by extending density-functional theory to quantum electrodynamics. It introduces electron–photon exchange-correlation functionals and photon many-body dispersion, a generalization of molecular dispersion methods that treats electronic and photonic degrees of freedom together. Applications examine anisotropic coupling, effects beyond single photons and cavity-modified van der Waals forces. The approach aims to retain these strong-coupling effects while remaining efficient enough to simulate large, complex systems inside optical cavities.

Producing metal-organic frameworks as nanoparticles could make them easier to process at industrial scale and change properties such as transport. Controlled synthesis and the effects of particle size remain insufficiently understood. Carl K. Brozek presents synthetic methods and mechanistic models for preparing MOF nanoparticles whose electrical conduction, magnetism, optical response and dynamic bonding differ from bulk frameworks. Solution-state spectroscopy and electrochemistry expose size-dependent and interfacial effects that conventional framework materials do not reveal. The work provides approaches for scalable MOF manufacture while raising broader questions about relationships among structure, size and properties. Speaker: Associate Professor Carl K. Brozek, University of Oregon, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Hosted by Jack Zhang and Kevin Kittilstved for Washington State University Chemistry. Monday 19 October 2026, 16:10–17:00 America/Los_Angeles (Pacific Daylight Time). Attend at Fulmer Hall, Room 201, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA, or use the public Zoom Link on the official event page.

An 18-month appointment in the CONTROL-MITO project at the Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation. Design, synthesize and characterize chemical probes that induce protein proximity inside the mitochondrial matrix. Integrate structural and biophysical results into iterative molecular design, linker chemistry and conjugation, collaborating with researchers in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Applications close on 5 October 2026 at 23:59 local time.

Tenure-stream faculty appointment at the Mississauga campus, jointly connected to the Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences and Centre for Medicinal Chemistry. Build an independent programme in chemical biology or medicinal/biological chemistry aligned with health and biotechnology, and teach undergraduate and graduate courses. Expected start: July 2027. Submit a cover letter, CV, research statement, teaching dossier and three referees online; all materials and reference letters are due 5 October at 11:59 p.m. ET.

An 18-month appointment at Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier within the RADICAL project of the French PEPR Batteries programme. Develop aqueous redox-flow batteries using inexpensive organic active molecules near neutral pH. Evaluate electrolytes and battery performance, investigate degradation, and monitor composition, pH and dissolved oxygen to relate stability to cycling conditions. The planned start is 1 February 2027; applications close on 6 October 2026 at 23:59 source local time.

Up to USD 20,000 for a one-year project at a US two-year college preparing chemical technical professionals. Projects can provide student stipends or scholarships, work-based learning, employer partnerships, equipment, instrumentation, curriculum development or faculty time to strengthen chemistry-related workforce pathways. Activities serving transfer-student populations are excluded. Applications opened 23 July and close 7 October 2026; the award period is January–December 2027, with project starts no later than 31 May. Submit through the official call’s linked grant platform, including project summary, narrative, budget, justification and personnel biosketches.

Up to USD 20,000 for a one-year project at a US two-year college preparing chemical technical professionals. Projects can provide student stipends or scholarships, work-based learning, employer partnerships, equipment, instrumentation, curriculum development or faculty time to strengthen chemistry-related workforce pathways. Activities serving transfer-student populations are excluded. Applications opened 23 July and close 7 October 2026; the award period is January–December 2027, with project starts no later than 31 May. Submit through the official call’s linked grant platform, including project summary, narrative, budget, justification and personnel biosketches.

A one-year USD 25,000 award supports chemical-sciences graduate students whose degree completion is threatened by unforeseen circumstances such as funding lapses, project changes or laboratory transitions. A faculty PI applies for support of currently enrolled MS or PhD students within one year of graduation. The grant pays student stipends/salaries and benefits that maintain graduate status, excluding tuition, supplies, indirect costs, conference fees and travel. Each institution may receive one award; the USD 1 million figure is the overall programme budget. Applications opened 15 September and close 9 October 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Funds must be used by 31 October 2027. Apply using the account-based platform linked on the official call.

Chemistry seminar by Prof. Yves Geerts (Université Libre de Bruxelles) on historical attempts by Pasteur and Curie to direct chiral symmetry breaking with external fields, why they failed, and how chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) under non-equilibrium conditions now enables enantiomer separation and control of molecular handedness.

Liver toxicity can emerge late in drug development when early assays fail to capture human biology, exposure or injury mechanisms. This webinar introduces Axiom’s hepatic profiling approach, combining multicellular liver systems, high-content imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics and ADME measurements. Its reasoning agent integrates those results with partner assays, chemical-series context, exposure estimates and clinical evidence to assess mechanistic liver-safety risks. Rather than using a single cell-toxicity score, the approach develops interpretable, series-specific structure–toxicity hypotheses, compares analogues, ranks compounds and suggests follow-up experiments or structural changes. Performance on established liver-injury reference compounds and newer molecules is examined through case studies, showing how multimodal evidence can inform medicinal-chemistry decisions and predicted therapeutic index.