Named Lecture Series
Thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends, the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook University offers several Endowed Lectures Series which bring to campus distinguished scholars from around the globe who address topics of interest to both the academic community and the general public. The Department of Chemistry is proud to host the following lectures:
Established 2010 History This lectureship was created in 2010 by former students of Professor Francis Johnson
in honor of his 80th birthday and in recognition of his contributions to both departments:
Chemistry and Pharmacological Sciences at Stony Brook. Find out more about Francis
Johnson here. Lectures Date: May 1, 2026 Established 2008 History Since Dr. Stephen Koch and Dr. Michelle Millar joined the Department of Chemistry
in 1978 and 1985, they have demonstrated a strong commitment to fostering the success
of students and advancing research in inorganic chemistry at Stony Brook. Dr. Koch
and Dr. Millar are examples of the profound and continuing impact that our faculty
has on students. In an effort to bring the latest insights from researchers in the field of inorganic
chemistry to Stony Brook, Dr. Koch and Dr. Millar established the Stony Brook Lectureship
in Inorganic Chemistry. Through their generous donation, Stony Brook invites highly
regarded scientists to share their expertise with the Stony Brook community. Lectures Date: April 10, 2026 Notes: Eighth Lecture For more information click here Established 1990 History A circle of Dr. Bigeleisen’s friends established the Jacob Bigeleisen Lectures in
1989 to celebrate his 70th birthday and his newly acquired emeritus status. The purpose of the endowment is to sponsor an annual lecture in chemistry by an internationally
renowned scholar. The Jacob Bigeleisen lectures are supported by an endowment established
by a circle of friends on the occasion of his 70th birthday. The purpose of the endowment
is to enrich the educational program at Stony Brook through an annual lecture in chemistry
by a scholar of international reputation. Prior to coming to Stony Brook, he was Tracy
Harris Professor and Chairman of the Chemistry Department at the University of Rochester.
He was a member of the scientific staff of Brookhaven National Laboratory for twenty
years before joining the Rochester faculty. During his long and distinguished career,
he was the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships for his work in pure and applied
isotope chemistry, and became a member of the National Academy of Sciences as well
as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Since its inception in 1990,
the Bigeleisen Lecture has been delivered by a very distinguished group of scientists
including Drs. Ahmed Zewail, F. Albert Cotton, Samuel J. Danishefsky, Judith P. Klinman,
Robert H. Grubbs, Yuan T. Lee, Christopher T. Walsh, François Diederich, Charles Lieber,
David Tirrell, Nathan Lewis, Jacqueline Barton, Gerard Meijer, Fraser Stoddart, Daniel
G. Nocera, Eric Betzig, Chad Mirkin and Laura Kiessling. Upcoming Lecture Date: April 2, 2027 Speaker: Dr. Melanie S. Sanford Established in 2010 Lectures TBA Established in 2022 History The Inaugural Ojima Distinguished Lectureship Award in Chemistry, honoring award recipient
Dr. Makoto Fujita, University Distinguished Professor of the University of Tokyo,
was held on April 29, 2022. Dr. Fujita gave an enthralling talk, “Coordination Self-Assembly:
From Origins to the Latest Advances,” which you can see on YouTube. The award lecture
was hosted by the Department of Chemistry, the Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug
Discovery (ICB&DD), the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Office of the Provost. Lectures: Date: April 17, 2026 Speaker: Prof. Eric Jacobsen (Harvard University) Notes: Eighth LectureFor more information click here
Speaker: Dr. Craig M. Crews, (Yale University)
Title: "Induced Proximity Drug Modalities: Hijacking Mother Nature to Control Protein Function"
Notes: Eighth Annual Lecture For more information click here
Speaker: Prof. Pat Holland (Yale University) – Franklin Award Lecture
Title: Breaking it and fixing it: new chemistry with nitrogen.
