Scientist 2 Scientist, FMC Mid-Atlantic Chemistry Lecture: The Art of Picking a Target Molecule

Lecture by Dirk Trauner, Ph.D.,
the Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania

Thursday, May 7, 2026
Reception: 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Lecture: 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Audion at STAR Tower
University of Delaware – Newark Campus

— This is an in-person event. Registration is required. Space is limited. —

Register Today!
FMC and UD logos

SPONSORED BY:
FMC with support from the University of Delaware Research Office and the College of Arts and Sciences

Join FMC and the University of Delaware for the FMC Mid-Atlantic Chemistry Lecture, part of UD’s Scientist 2 Scientist series—designed to bring academia and industry together to spark conversations, inspire new ideas, and build lasting professional relationships.

The event begins with a networking reception, which will include a scientific poster session, offering a dynamic forum for engagement with regional scientists, followed by a featured lecture by Dirk Trauner, the Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania, who conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of organic chemistry, neuroscience, and chemical biology.

Dirk Trauner

Dirk Trauner

Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania

2026 FMC Mid-Atlantic
Chemistry Lecturer Dirk Trauner

LECTURE TITLE: “The Art of Picking a Target Molecule”
TIME: 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

ABSTRACT: Conceptual novelties and trends may come and go in organic chemistry, but total synthesis endures—both as a powerful driver of chemical innovation and as a deeply rewarding intellectual pursuit. In this lecture, I will offer a personal perspective on what motivates me to choose a synthetic target, illustrated by recent and largely unpublished work.

DIRK TRAUNER, the Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania, conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of organic chemistry, neuroscience, and chemical biology. A native of Linz, Austria, he received his academic training in Vienna and Berlin, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna, and completed postdoctoral studies with Samuel J. Danishefsky at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

He has held faculty positions at University of California, Berkeley, LMU Munich, and New York University, where he served as the Janice Cutler Chair in Chemistry. His work is widely recognized for pioneering advances in optogenetics and photopharmacology, developing light-controlled chemical tools with applications in neuroscience, cell biology, and precision therapeutics.

Dirk Trauner

Dirk Trauner

Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania

EVENT Details:

  • This event is in person and is open to the public.
  • 3:30 – 4:30 PM Reception
  • 4:30 – 5:30 PM Lecture
  • Reserve your spot now by completing the registration below. Space is limited.
  • Registration deadline: May 1

Additional Information:

To download a Parking Map PDF click here.

For inquiries or assistance with registration, please email the UD Research Office.

Getting Here:

Audion: Tower-at-STAR Map

Click the map above for directions.

 Scientist 2 Scientist Lecture

Lecture by Dirk Trauner, PhD,
the Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania

REGISTRATION FORM

Thursday, May 7, 2026
3:30 – 4:30 PM | Reception & Poster Session
4:30 – 5:30 PM | Lecture
Audion at STAR Tower, University of Delaware – Newark Campus

Click here to download a Parking Map PDF.
Registration is required. Registration Deadline is May 1.
This is an in-person event. Space is limited.

FMC and UD logos
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