Department of Chemistry

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Seattle, Washington — Pacific Time

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33rd Chemistry Awards Dinner

This event is by invitation only. If you are a current Chemistry student who has won an award from another UW department or from an external agency, please contact Diana Knight by January 15, 2026. If you are an alum of the Department of Chemistry and are interested in attending, please contact Diana Knight. The Department of Chemistry is committed to providing access and accommodation. To make a request connected to a disability or health condition for this event, contact us at chem59x@uw.edu. Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Special Events. Thursday, April 23, 2026, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.

Analytical Chemistry Seminar: Prof. Mei Shen

Analytical Seminars "Nanoelectrochemistry for Multi-Dimensional Bioanalysis" Assistant Professor Mei Shen - Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Host: Bo Zhang Nanoscale in-vivo studies on the signaling of a broad range of neurotransmitters are essential to understanding brain functions and diseases. In this talk, I will first describe our efforts in the development and creation of versatile electroanalytical liquid-liquid junction probes to enable the detection of redox-inactive transmitters. By using the liquid/liquid approach, we circumvent the challenges in the measurement of non-redox-active neurotransmitters using nano-electroanalytical methods. In addition, I will share our recent efforts in developing dual-channel nano-carbon-liquid/liquid junction electrodes for multi-modal analysis of both redox-active and non-redox-active analytes. Then I will present our studies on high spatiotemporal bioanalysis using model living organisms. We employed scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to posit… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Bagley Hall (BAG). Campus room: BAG 260. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Monday, April 27, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM. For more info visit chemistry.illinois.edu.

Organic Chemistry Seminar: Prof. Adrian Figg

Organic Seminars Title: Approaching Acrylic Copolymer Structures Differently Controlled polymerization techniques (e.g. reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization) provide access to defined copolymer structures where block sequence, monomer composition, and architecture can be readily tuned. Herein, synthesis approaches that leverage photoinduced electron/energy transfer (PET) catalysis to control radical introduction mechanisms will be introduced. For example, we developed synthetic methods to yield polymers containing more precise control over monomer placement and sequence. Additionally, new ways of interfacing acrylic copolymers with proteins to modulate functions show that copolymer composition is critical for achieving protein recognition. Overall, new synthetic design considerations for acrylic copolymers using RAFT polymerization will be discussed. Assistant Professor Adrian Figg - Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech Host: Matthew Golder. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Chemistry Building (CHB). Campus room: CHB 102. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM. For more info visit figglab.com.

MSACST Career Seminar Series: Paul Vahey

"TBD" Paul Vahey, Boeing Hosts: Dan Fu and Sharon Durfy. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Chemistry Building (CHB). Campus room: CHB 102. Accessibility Contact: Sharon Durfy. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Students in Chemistry MS in Applied Chemical Science & Technology and Chemistry PhD students. Thursday, April 30, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.

P. C. Cross Endowed Lecture in Physical Chemistry: Prof. Maksym Kovalenko

Physical Seminars P. C. Cross Endowed Lecture in Physical Chemistry "Quantum light sources using colloidal perovskite quantum dots" Professor Maksym Kovalenko - Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich Host: David Ginger Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (LHP NCs) - the latest generation of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) - are intrinsically bright emitters without the need for epitaxial wide-bandgap shells. In recent years, LHP NCs have emerged as the most intensively studied QD material, challenging the field's foundational paradigms in nearly every respect. They are the first QDs to exhibit excitonic coherence on timescales comparable to their radiative lifetimes (at cryogenic temperatures), thus setting the stage for their use as sources of indistinguishable photons. Their giant oscillator strength effect enables extremely fast emission (lifetimes as short as 60 ps) even in relatively large NCs, while maintaining single-photon emission. Periodic ensembles of LHP NCs have further demonstrated collective,… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Bagley Hall (BAG). Campus room: BAG 154. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: This lecture is supported by the Paul C. Cross Endowed Fund, dedicated to the memory of Professor Paul C. Cross by his family and many friends and colleagues in 2002. Prof. Cross was a distinguished physical chemist who led the effort to elevate the UW Department of Chemistry to national prominence when he served as professor and chair from 1949 to 1961. Prof. Cross promoted departmental growth through the expansion of the graduate program, his emphasis on the acquisition and construction of revolutionary… Monday, May 4, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM. For more info visit kovalenkolab.ethz.ch.

Physical Chemistry Seminar: Prof. Maksym Kovalenko

Physical Seminars "Chemical Engineering of Perovskite Quantum Dots as Room-Temperature Quantum Emitters" Professor Maksym Kovalenko - Chemistry, ETH Zurich Host: David Ginger Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (LHP NCs) [1] - the latest generation of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) - possess dynamic, entropically stabilized soft lattices and electronically benign surfaces that, remarkably, do not compromise their textbook semiconductor optical quality. The compositional diversity of APbX3 is very limited – only Cesium ions on A-site are found to form perovskite lattice of this kind, whereas a range of organic cations readily form this lattice: methylammonium (MA), formamidinium (FA), aziridinium (AZ) [2-4]. On a B-site, the only alternative is to switch from Pb to Sn, or to Pb/Sn alloys, which extend luminescence into the near-infrared spectral range, a desirable range for quantum applications. In this presentation, we will focus on the importance of the surface chemistry of perovskite QDs for imparting sufficient (photo)chemic… Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM. For more info visit kovalenkolab.ethz.ch.

Organic Chemistry Seminar: Prof. Nobuhiko Tokuriki

Organic Seminars TBD Professor Nobuhiko Tokuriki - Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia Host: Jesse Zalatan. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Chemistry Building (CHB). Campus room: CHB 102. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM. For more info visit biochem.ubc.ca.

Cross-Divisional Chemistry Seminar: Prof. R. David Britt

Inorganic Seminars "mm-Wave (263 GHz) high power pulse EPR spectrometer and applications to high spin transition metal centers" Professor R. David Britt - Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis Hosts: Julie Kovacs, Lauren Rajakovich, Stefan StollPulse Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy provides powerful tools for examining species with unpaired electrons, such as organic radicals and metal ions, in a wide variety of interesting systems. However, the lack of high power pulse amplifiers above approximately 100 GHz has limited its applicability at very high frequencies and magnetic fields. Here we describe the use of a new high frequency traveling wave (TWT) vacuum tube amplifier employed in a pulse EPR spectrometer operating over a wide frequency bandwidth centered at 263 GHz. The TWT power allows for pulse EPR without any resonator, which gives big advantages for sample volume and sample geometry. This novel instrument provides significant improvements in sensitivity and resolution when compared… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Bagley Hall (BAG). Campus room: BAG 261. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM. For more info visit brittepr.faculty.ucdavis.edu.

Third Seattle Organic Chemistry Seminar: Prof. Jon Ellman

Organic Seminars "TBD" Professor Jon Ellman - Department of Chemistry, Yale University Hosts: Gojko Lalic, Forrest Michael, Matthew Golder. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Student Union Building (HUB). Campus room: HUB 334. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Special Events. Thursday, May 14, 2026. For more info visit ellman.chem.yale.edu.

MSACST Career Seminar Series: Ryan Lyski

"TBD" Ryan Lyski, Pfizer Hosts: Dan Fu and Sharon Durfy. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Chemistry Building (CHB). Campus room: CHB 102. Accessibility Contact: Sharon Durfy. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Students in Chemistry MS in Applied Chemical Science & Technology and Chemistry PhD students. Thursday, May 14, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.

Chemistry Faculty Meeting

*Open Session. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Chemistry Building (CHB). Campus room: CHB 102. Accessibility Contact: Veronica Howell, atchmchr@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings. Event sponsors: For assistance, please contact Veronica Howell, atchmchr@uw.edu or 206.543.1611. Target Audience: Faculty. Thursday, May 14, 2026, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium is a chance for undergraduates to present what they have learned through their research experiences to a larger audience. The Symposium provides a forum for students, faculty, and the community to discuss cutting-edge research topics and to examine the connection between research and education. The Symposium includes poster and presentation sessions by students from all academic disciplines and all three UW campuses, plus invited guests. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Mary Gates Hall (MGH). Accessibility Contact: undergradresearch@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Conferences. Special Events. Student Activities. Event sponsors: The Undergraduate Research Symposium is brought to you by the Office of Undergraduate Research with the support of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, the Office of Research, the Office of the Provost, and the Mary Gates Endowment for Students. Friday, May 15, 2026, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM. For more info visit www.washington.edu.

Physical Chemistry Seminar: Prof. Zhi Heng Loh

Physical Seminars "Spatially Resolved Ultrafast Dynamics of Two-Dimensional Materials Probed by Time-Resolved Photoemission Electron Microscopy" Associate Professor Zhi Heng Loh - School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Host: Munira Khalil The application of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) to optoelectronics requires a detailed understanding of their elementary carrier dynamics. In this talk, I will present some results obtained from our investigations of TMDs using femtosecond time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy (TR-PEEM). In 1L-WSe2, TR-PEEM imaging uncovers spatially heterogeneous dynamics within a single flake. Notably, the edges exhibit faster intervalley electron scattering and slower exciton–exciton annihilation compared to the interior. In wrinkled multilayer MoS2, TR-PEEM and nonadiabatic ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal faster sub-picosecond electronic relaxation in wrinkled regions, driven by enhance… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Chemistry Building (CHB). Campus room: CHB 102. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM. For more info visit web.spms.ntu.edu.sg.

MSACST Career Seminar Series: Nels Olson

"TBD" Nels Olson, The Olson Foundation Hosts: Dan Fu and Sharon Durfy. Event interval: Single day event. Campus room: CHB 102. Accessibility Contact: Sharon Durfy. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Students in Chemistry MS in Applied Chemical Science & Technology and Chemistry PhD students. Thursday, May 21, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.

Chemistry Spring Research Showcase

Chemistry research is in full bloom! Celebrate spring with fresh ideas and new results from our MSACST and PhD students and postdocs. Students, faculty, alumni, industry partners, and friends of the department are invited to explore posters, ask questions, and grow their networks at the Spring Chemistry Research Showcase. Please RSVP by May 1. Attendee RSVP: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=W9229i_wGkSZoBYqxQYL0oV0dMp5R71BrorMdZiZO2lUNFkyMDhRNkg3VjJLVVBSRUE1V1VSREFWRC4u Presenter RSVP: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=W9229i_wGkSZoBYqxQYL0oV0dMp5R71BrorMdZiZO2lUQjM3N0tDSzFFWjJQN0tUSlhNTVkzQk5GUy4u. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Student Union Building (HUB). Campus room: South Ballroom. Accessibility Contact: chmgprog@uw.edu. Event Types: Student Activities. Special Events. Exhibits. Academics. Target Audience: Students in the MSASCT program, and PhD students and postdocs in the Department of Chemistry. Thursday, May 21, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM.

Memorial Day

Administrative No classes. Most University offices and buildings are closed. Check with specific offices to confirm. Event interval: Single day event. Year: 2026. Quarter: Spring. Event Types: Academics. Monday, May 25, 2026. For more info visit www.washington.edu.

Weston T. and Sheila Borden Endowed Lecture in Theoretical Chemistry: Prof. Benedetta Mennucci

Physical Seminars Weston T. and Sheila Borden Endowed Lecture in Theoretical Chemistry "Photoactivated biological functions:Bridging Electronic Excitations to Functional Response through Multiscale Simulations" Professor Benedetta Mennucci - Department of Chemistry, University of Pisa Host: Xiaosong Li Living organisms across all domains of life rely on specialized light-sensitive proteins to detect and respond to light. Although these systems adopt diverse molecular strategies, they share a common triggering event: the electronic excitation of a chromophoric unit embedded within the protein. This initial excitation is subsequently converted into different forms of energy and propagated through the system, ultimately leading to a biological response. The underlying processes span multiple spatial and temporal scales, ranging from ultrafast electronic dynamics localized on the chromophoric unit to much slower, large-scale conformational changes of the protein matrix. Here, a multiscale computational framework is presented to… Event interval: Single day event. Campus room: TBD. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: This lecture is supported by the Weston and Sheila Borden Endowed Fund in Chemistry, established by the Bordens in 2015. Weston T. Borden served on the University of Washington chemistry faculty for 31 years. His research involved the use of molecular orbital (MO) theory and MO-based calculations to understand and predict the structures and reactions of organic and organometallic molecules. Sheila Borden received her B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. After a y… Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.

Organic Chemistry Seminar: Prof. Bo Li

Organic Seminars TBD Professor Bo Li - Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Host: Lauren Rajakovich. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Chemistry Building (CHB). Campus room: CHB 102. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Thursday, May 28, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM. For more info visit chem.unc.edu.

MSACST Career Seminar Series: Yinbo Shi

"TBD" Yinbo Shi, Dopl Technologies Hosts: Dan Fu and Sharon Durfy. Event interval: Single day event. Campus room: CHB 102. Accessibility Contact: Sharon Durfy. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Students in Chemistry MS in Applied Chemical Science & Technology and Chemistry PhD students. Thursday, May 28, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.

Chemistry Faculty Meeting

Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduation Celebration

It's time to celebrate the Class of 2026! Family and friends are welcome; no tickets required. Members of the Class of 2026 who would like to participate in the ceremony must RSVP by May 25, 2026. Attire: Students are encouraged to wear cap & gown, but it is not required. Details are posted on the Graduation Information page [link below]. Please send questions to chemadv@uw.edu. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Hec Edmundson Pavilion (EDP). Campus room: Alaska Airlines Arena. Accessibility Contact: chemadv@uw.edu. Event Types: Ceremonies. Target Audience: Students graduating Summer 2025, Autumn 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026, and Summer 2026. Thursday, June 11, 2026, 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM. For more info visit chem.washington.edu.

Juneteenth

Administrative No classes. Most University offices and buildings are closed. Check with specific offices to confirm. Event interval: Single day event. Year: 2026. Quarter: Summer. Event Types: Academics. Friday, June 19, 2026. For more info visit www.washington.edu.

Analytical and Physical Chemistry Seminar: Prof. Shun-ichi Ishiuchi

Analytical Seminars "TBD" Professor Shun-ichi Ishiuchi - Department of Chemistry, Institute of Science Tokyo Hosts: Matthew Bush and Sotiris Xantheas. Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Monday, June 29, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM. For more info visit www.irfi.titech.ac.jp.

Independence Day (Observed)

Administrative No classes. Most University offices and buildings are closed. Check with specific offices to confirm. Event interval: Single day event. Year: 2026. Quarter: Summer. Event Types: Academics. Friday, July 3, 2026. For more info visit www.washington.edu.