Keynote Speakers 2025

Dr. Frontier is a Professor of Chemistry at University of Rochester, Department of Chemistry. The Frontier laboratory is engaged in synthetic organic chemistry research, especially cyclization reactions that produce unusual, densely functionalized ring systems from simple precursors. Research directions being pursued in the lab include the study of novel pericyclic reactions, cationic rearrangements and diastereoselective cyclization cascades, and their application to complex molecule synthesis 

Dr. Carla Ng is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She works at the intersection of chemistry, biology and engineering to develop models for the fate of chemicals in organisms and ecosystems. Her research interests span multiple scales, from molecules to global systems. Her research group focuses on several key areas, including developing integrative modeling strategies to understand the biological impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), exploring the role of the global industrial food system in the transport and fate of environmental contaminants, and creating quantitative models for structure-based chemical assessments. They also investigate chemical transformation products in complex mixtures, design innovative biological approaches for treating emerging contaminants, advance systems-level understanding of green infrastructure’s ecological and water quality benefits, and study the mechanisms of chemical bioaccumulation and bioavailability. 

Dr. Advincula is a Governor's Chair Professor and Group Leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and University of Tennessee. His research and group interests are: design, synthesis, and characterization of polymers and nanomaterials capable of controlled-assembly, nanostructuring, and self-organization in ultrathin films and monoliths. This includes functional macromolecules, coordination polymerization, polymer brushes, electropolymerization, and preparation of nanoparticles and hybrid materials.