The Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois created the St. Elmo Brady Postdoctoral Inclusive Excellence Symposium (SEBPIES) series in 2020. The initiative provides a forum for postdocs from diverse backgrounds interested in pursuing research faculty positions. This symposium is in honor of St. Elmo Brady, who in 1916 became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry in the United States when he graduated from the University of Illinois. The purpose of this award is recognizing that a commitment to diversity initiatives can play a significant role in furthering the inclusion of individuals from diverse backgrounds in advanced STEM careers. Learn more about St. Elmo Brady.
St. Elmo Brady Postdoctoral Inclusive Excellence Symposium
Charles Miller Auditorium, CLSL B102
3 - 4 PM Award Ceremony and Seminar One
Eva Maria Alvarez Pari, Northwestern University - “Electrochemical Approach to Selective Synthesis”
4 - 5 PM Seminar Two
William Ndugire, University of Massachusetts Amherst - "Lipid nanoparticle-supported bioorthogonal catalysts for antitumor and antimicrobial therapy"
Reception immediately following
Please click here to submit your registration: St. Elmo Brady Postdoctoral Inclusive Excellence Symposium (SEBPIES) Lecture Registration
Dr. Eva Maria Alvarez Pari completed her undergraduate studies in Chemistry at Higher University of San Simon and her masters degree in Molecular Sciences at Friedrich Alexander University. She completed my Master Thesis at Oxford University where she worked in palladium-catalyzed desulfinylative C – H functionalization of nitrogen-containing heteroarenes. Afterwards, she continued her PhD studies at the Max Planck Institute focusing on the synthesis of novel three-dimensional small-ring scaffolds such as bicyclopentane sulfonium salts and subsequent reactivity (Minisci, C–N, C–O bond formation) merging photoredox and transition metal catalysis. She is currently working with Prof. Christian Malapit at Northwestern University on organic electrosynthesis towards the generation of electrophilic radical species for selective functionalization of pi-systems (arenes and olefins) to address longstanding challenges in selective and sustainable organic synthesis.
Dr. William Ndugire received his B.A. in Chemistry from Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) where he researched microwave spectroscopy under Stewart Novick and Wallace Pringle. He completed his PhD in Chemistry with Mingdi Yan at University of Massachusetts Lowell (Lowell, MA) where he worked on carbohydrate-functionalized gold nanoclusters and polymeric nanomaterials, and their antimicrobial properties. He is currently a post−doctoral research associate in Vince Rotello’s lab at University of Massachusetts Amherst (Amherst, MA) supported by a NIH/NIBIB diversity supplement centered on nanomaterial−supported bioorthogonal catalysts for antimicrobial and antitumor therapies.
