Celebration of Women in Chemistry Symposium

Glass vials on a chemistry bench

Friday, May 26 marked the first Celebration of Women in Chemistry symposium at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute in Jupiter, Florida. Standout research from women chemists specializing in chemical biology, natural products, translational research and more spoke, and up-and-coming students and trainees presented posters. Join us at the next Celebration of Women in Science conference. Watch this space for details.


Keynote Speakers

Michelle C Chang Professor UC Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

Michelle C. Chang, Ph.D.

Professor Chang's lab uses mechanistic biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology to address problems in energy and human health. She designs and creates new biosynthetic pathways in microbial hosts for in vivo production of biofuels from abundant crop feedstocks and pharmaceuticals from natural products or natural product scaffolds.


Christina Woo Harvard U

Harvard University and the Broad Institute

Christina Woo, Ph.D.

The Woo lab draws from the fields of chemical biology, organic synthesis, and mass spectrometry to understand small molecule activity in the proteome.


Carolyn Leverett, Ph.D. of Pfizer

Pfizer Principal scientist, oncology

Carolyn Leverett, Ph.D.

Carolyn Leverett, PhD, is a Principal Scientist in Oncology Medicinal Chemistry. Since joining Pfizer in 2012, she has been involved in the development of a variety of microtubule inhibitor-based payloads for use as an antibody-drug conjugate towards the treatment of cancer.

Future Leader Speakers

Kodadek Group | The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute

Madeline Balzarini

“Chemically Induced Protein Degradation by Direct Recruitment to the 26S Proteasome”

Madeline Balzarini - Kodadek Group

Sarpong Group | University of california – Berkeley

Kristen Gardner

Mild synthesis of aryl amines from alkynyl 2-pyrones: An alternative to Buchwald–Hartwig amination reactions”

Kristen Gardner

Reisman/Sigman Groups | Caltech

Arianne Hunter, Ph.D.

“The Development of an Electrocatalytic Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi Reaction using Data Chemistry”

Arianne Hunter, Ph.D.

Bertozzi Group | Stanford University

Mariko Morimoto, Ph.D.

“Tumor-Immune Cell Targeting Chimeras (TICTACs): Targeted Immune Reprogramming of the Tumor Microenvironment”

Mariko Morimoto, Ph.D.

Symposium Program

Friday, May 26, 2023
8:00 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. BREAKFAST IN THE WERTHEIM UF SCRIPPS CAFE
8:50 a.m. to 9 a.m. Welcome remarks: Ciaran Seath, Ph.D.,
SESSION 1 Chair: Ciaran Seath, Ph.D.
9 a.m. to 10 a.m. KEYNOTE: Michelle C. Chang, Ph.D.
10 a.m. to 10:35 a.m. Madeline Balzarini
10:35 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. COFFEE BREAK
10:50 a.m. to 11:25 p.m. Kristen Gardner
11:25 p.m. to 11:40 p.m. Beryl Li, Ph.D.
11:40 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. LUNCH / POSTERS / BIOTECH RECRUITING
SESSION 2 Chair: Christina Davis
1:25 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. KEYNOTE: Christina Woo, Ph.D.
2:25 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. Mariko Morimoto, Ph.D.
3:05 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. COFFEE BREAK AND REFRESHMENTS
SESSION 3 Chair: Bin-Bin Schell
3:20 p.m. to 4 p.m. KEYNOTE: Carolyn Ann Leverett, Ph.D.
4 p.m. to 4:40 p.m. Arianne Hunter, Ph.D.
4:40 p.m. to 6 p.m. REFRESHMENTS AND POSTER SESSION

Travel and Accommodation Information

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