Princeton University Professor
Sir David MacMillan PHD
Sir David W. C. MacMillan was born in Bellshill, Scotland, and received his undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Glasgow, where he worked with Dr. Ernie Colvin. In 1990, he began his doctoral studies under the direction of Professor Larry Overman at the University of California, Irvine, before undertaking a postdoctoral position with Professor Dave Evans at Harvard University in 1996. He began his independent career at the University of California, Berkeley, in July of 1998 before moving to Caltech in 2000 as the Earle C. Anthony Chair of Organic Chemistry. In 2006, Dave moved to Princeton University as the A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Chemistry. He served as Department Chair from 2010–2015 and is currently the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry and a Ludwig Distinguished Scholar. Dave shares the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Benjamin List "for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis." He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2022. His research interests encompass a wide range of organic chemistry, including the development of new areas in organocatalysis and photoredox catalysis.
CalTech University Professor
Frances Arnold
Frances Arnold is the Linus Pauling Professor at the California Institute of Technology and the first American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2018). She pioneered the field of directed enzyme evolution, with applications spanning alternative energy, chemicals, and medicine. Today, her lab integrates artificial intelligence and machine learning to accelerate enzyme discovery and evolution. Her accolades include the National Medal of Technology and Innovation and the Millennium Technology Prize. She is a member of the National Academies of Science, Medicine, and Engineering, and from 2021–2025 she served as external co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Past Speaker
Phil S. Baran, PhD
Through his research, Phil Baran, PhD, explores Organic synthesis, one of the great branches of Chemistry that has had a profound impact on the betterment and advancement of civilization. In its most modern manifestations, it renders the dream of alchemy (turning something worthless into something valuable) a reality. It places the practitioner into the role of artist, engineer, and astronaut. Baran's research finds new ways to circumvent the bottlenecks of sustainable, scalable synthesis that allow organic molecules to be more rapidly transformed into viable therapies. The chemical products developed in his lab have shown major utility in a multitude of disease areas and his methods are widely used in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and materials science sectors.
Baran received a BS from New York University and a PhD from Scripps Research. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University before returning to Scripps Research as a faculty member. The mission of his laboratory is to simplify the practice of synthesis and, in doing so, educate students and postdoctoral scholars at the intersection of fundamental organic chemistry and translational science.
Baran has educated hundreds of scientists over the years, co-founded numerous companies (Sirenas, Vividion, Elsie, and several others in stealth) based on his lab's research and is the recipient of a notable list of awards and honors that recognize the impact of his research. These include the Danisco Foundation Science Excellence Award, the Manchot Research Professorship Award, the Emanuel Merck Lectureship, the ACS Elias J. Corey Award, the Blavatnik National Laureate in Chemistry Award and a MacArthur Fellowship. Baran is also an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Past Speaker
Graham R. Cooks
Graham Cooks was born in Benoni, South Africa, and was awarded Ph. D.'s by the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. and by Cambridge University, UK. He is the Henry B. Hass Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University where he has spent the bulk of his career. His interests involve construction of mass spectrometers and unique applications. The latter interest led to construction of tandem sector and miniature ion trap mass spectrometers and their application to problems of trace chemical agent detection. He has graduated Π/2 Ph.D's. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Major contributions to tandem mass spectrometry, ambient ionization and ion/surface interactions have been recognized by national and international awards for work that is highly cited (one of 100 most-cited chemists). His prolific research is reflected in over 1000 scientific papers cited more than 100,000 times, and his innovations have resulted in over 100 patents and the creation of five companies.
Outside the Blast Radius: Explosives Discovery Unburdened by Knowledge
Adam Matzger
Prof. Adam J. Matzger received his B.A. degree in 1992 from Oberlin College. His Ph.D. was completed at the University of California at Berkeley in the group of K. Peter C. Vollhardt. He went on to postdoctoral work jointly with Nathan S. Lewis and Robert H. Grubbs at the California Institute of Technology. In 2000, he joined the faculty at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he is now the Charles G. Overberger Collegiate Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Macromolecular Science and Engineering. His current research interest focus is on organic materials in the solid state and encompasses explosives, pharmaceuticals, and porous materials.
