Congratulations to Professor Stuart Rowan who has been named as interim dean of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago! 🔗 Read more: ms.spr.ly/6047vIdXc

Metal nitride nanocrystals were long thought impossible to synthesize—until now. The Talapin Lab and Argonne National Lab break a fundamental boundary in Nature, paving the way for flexible electronics and advanced nanomaterials: shorturl.at/vivPu #MaterialsScience #Nanotech #UChiChem

The Dong Lab breaks new ground in JACS! Graduate student Zining Zhang introduces a strategy for late-stage carbonyl removal via sequential double C–C bond cleavage, streamlining complex synthesis. Read: shorturl.at/coYoN #OrganicSynthesis #JACS #UChiChem

How did early life repair its genetic material before proteins? A new Nature Communications study co-authored by Jack Szostak uncovers a novel ribozyme ligase requiring a 3'-terminal phosphate to stitch RNA. Read: shorturl.at/RSF6U #RNAWorld

Huge congratulations to Prof. Jiwoong Park on being named the James Franck Professor in the Department of Chemistry, the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the College at the University of Chicago. #UChicagoChemistry #PritzkerMolecularEngineering #Nanotechnology #JiwoongPark

Researchers in the Bozhi Tian Lab have engineered a wireless, bioinspired "artificial leaf" that harvests light to power next-generation biomedical devices. Read the full story at - shorturl.at/Etnbq #Bioelectronics #BiomedicalEngineering #NaturePhotonics #BozhiTian #Tianlab #UChiChemistry

Artificial ‘leaf’ powers wireless biomedical device

Plants convert light into energy efficiently through photosynthesis—an ability that scientists and engineers still struggle to match with electronic devices.

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UChicago Chemistry Seminar: "The Origin & Evolution of RNA Aminoacylation" Dr. Aleksandar Radakovic discusses the primordial role of RNA aminoacylation & the evolution of enzymes establishing the genetic code. Wed, June 17, 2026 | 2:15 PM | Kent 120 | shorturl.at/QReNb

The Ferguson Lab, in collab with the Liu Lab at UMich, has borrowed a survival trick from the tardigrade, and their discovery may offer a transformative roadmap for bio-preservation and cold-chain independence.Link: shorturl.at/NCqkJ #NatureCommunications #Biopreservation #MolecularEngineering

Precision is the heart of nanotech. @UChicago President and renowned chemist Paul Alivisatos + a UC Berkeley team just published a definitive look at photochemical propulsion in ACSNano. The Result: A new blueprint for bridging the gap between chemical energy and mechanical work. shorturl.at/hyAS8

This Friday, join us as we welcome Dave Nicewicz (UNC Chapel Hill) for a lecture on the evolution of organic photoredox catalysis. May 8th | 12:45 PM | Kent 120 | Link to abstract: shorturl.at/zzMK9 #OrganicChemistry #Photoredox #Catalysis #STEM #Innovation

We are thrilled to announce that the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists (WATOC) has named Professor Laura Gagliardi the recipient of the 2026 Schrödinger Medal, one of the field's highest honors. Link: shorturl.at/qxazC #schrodingermedal #uchicago #quantumchemistry

Professor Laura Gagliardi Receives Prestigious Schrödinger Medal

Marking the centenary of the Schrödinger equation, the 2026 award honors Gagliardi’s transformative work in climate solutions and multireference quantum theory

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The countdown is on for "MXene: The Next Horizon," the 4th International Conference hosted at the University of Chicago this August. If you want to be part of the conversation shaping the future of nanomaterials, now is the time to act, as abstract submissions close: May 15, 2026 - shorturl.at/fp1nX

Unfortunately, next week's Closs Lectures with Michele Parinello have been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. The good news? We still have a full May lineup! Join us for four excellent seminars, including both the Hillhouse and Bloch lectures. See our calendar for details - shorturl.at/dWCPY

Our recent work on aliphatic CO-to-N atom swap enabled by NAHA chemistry, now online in @science.org ! Congratulations to Zining, Zhehan and Rong! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Scanning nitrogen in sp3-rich scaffolds enabled by carbonyl-to-nitrogen atom swap

Medicinal chemistry campaigns routinely require access to series of saturated nitrogen heterocycle (SNH)–based analogs that place nitrogen at different positions to probe structure-activity relationsh...

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The University of Chicago Department of Chemistry is proud to announce that Professor Chuan He has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences Class of 2026! Link: shorturl.at/rEK5w #UChicago #Chemistry #NationalAcademyOfSciences #NAS2026 #Epitranscriptomics #RNA #MolecularBiology

University of Chicago Chemist Chuan He Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

How an RNA pioneer’s discovery of reversible methylation launched a new era in the chemical and biological sciences

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Join us tomorrow for a seminar featuring Prof. Lutz Ackermann from Georg-August-University Goettingen! If you're interested in C-H activation, sustainable base metal catalysis, or the intersection of data science and chemistry, you won't want to miss this. See the Details: shorturl.at/jHSB0

The Sarah King Lab has captured real-time "films" of polaritons—stunning light-matter hybrids—traveling over long distances using a custom, ultrafast camera. The breakthrough? They’ve found a way to "steer" these particles so they travel further without losing energy. Link: shorturl.at/WSAIc

Tomorrow, the Department of Chemistry welcomes Professor Alice Ting of Stanford University for a highly anticipated Closs Lecture. See full abstract for details - shorturl.at/uR3Uf #UChicago #ChemicalBiology #AliceTing #ResearchImpact #ChicagoScience #STEM

The Berggren Center is driving the development of revolutionary quantum tools for biomedical applications and cultivating a new generation of scholars fluent in both disciplines — scientists and engineers capable of translating quantum advances into clinical solutions. 🧪 ms.spr.ly/63320v84Ru

Congratulations to Dr. Anna Wuttig (@annawuttig.bsky.social), University of Chicago, for being named a 2026 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar! @uchichemistry.bsky.social #DreyfusAwards

We are thrilled to announce that Assistant Professor Anna Wuttig has been named a 2026 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar! Link to full story - shorturl.at/srXUH

The Rawal group's full account of their (+)-hinckdentine A total synthesis is out in JOC. By leveraging an indole-based Claisen rearrangement, they achieved a remarkably efficient 5-operation synthesis. Selected as an ACS Editors’ Choice paper. Read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

The University of Chicago Department of Chemistry is honored to host Professor F. Dean Toste from University of California, Berkeley for the 2026 Kharasch Memorial Lectures. For full lecture descriptions and event information - shorturl.at/tpC2j #Chemistry #Supramolecular #Catalysis

F. Dean Toste to Deliver 2026 Kharasch Lectures

UC Berkeley professor and pioneer in gold catalysis and supramolecular chemistry visits UChicago to present a three-part seminar series on the future of chemical synthesis

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The University of Chicago Department of Chemistry is proud to announce that Professor Guangbin Dong has been awarded the 2026 Janssen Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis. shorturl.at/SoXIh #UChicago #UChiChemistry #JanssenPrize #OrganicSynthesis #GuangbinDong #SkeletalEditing #Chemistry

Guangbin Dong Wins 2026 Janssen Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis

University of Chicago chemist recognized for pioneering "Cut & Sew" catalysis and groundbreaking advancements in skeletal editing

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Happy #WorldQuantumDay! ⚛️ This year, diplomacy and AI-driven modeling moved us from observing quantum systems to predicting them with unprecedented precision. Read "Constants in Motion: A Year of Quantum Science": 🔗 shorturl.at/LaK7W

Constants in Motion: A Year of Quantum Science

On World Quantum Day, Celebrating the year UChicago Chemistry transformed Quantum Science from a descriptive tool into a predictive power

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New research from Giulia Galli in @ChicagoToday pulls back the curtain on the atomic secrets of ice. By leveraging advanced quantum mechanical modeling, Galli and her team revealed how tiny molecular defects within the ice structure dramatically alter how it reacts to light. 🔗 shorturl.at/29yHH

UChicago Chemistry is on the road! Prof. Yamuna Krishnan visited @UTAustin last week to deliver the prestigious Centennial Visiting Lectureship in Chemistry. She shared her pioneering work on engineering DNA devices to "map" the chemical languages of cells and treat human disease.

How do you model a quantum system when the particles won't stop appearing and disappearing? Read how David Mazziotti has broken the "computational wall" of particle-number non-conservation with a mathematical shortcut to simulate once "un-simulatable" quantum systems. shorturl.at/8Ydaw

New from UChicago: A nature-inspired blueprint for carbon recycling. Using iron-sulfur clusters, the Anderson & Gagliardi groups created a stable catalyst that turns CO₂ into fuel precursors using only electricity—no expensive additives needed. Full study in JACS: shorturl.at/ScDRO

Join the University of Chicago Department of Chemistry for the prestigious Wheland Lecture featuring Professor Laura L. Kiessling from MIT. April 10, 2026 | 12:45 pm | Kent 120 LINK: shorturl.at/MRTy8 #ChemicalBiology #Glycoscience #UChicago #ScienceSeminar #Immunity