UIUC Biophysics and Related Seminars

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

• Final Defense of Tiara Torres-Flores, "Iterative Synthesis of Precise Conjugated Oligomers for Understanding Assembly and Photostability"

  Time

  10:00 am

  Location

  3269 Beckman

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Final Defense of Changhyun Hwang, "TBD"

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  2045 Sidney Lu Mechanical Engineering Building

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, August 20, 2026

• Final Defense of Song Yin, "Integrating Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Machine Learning for Mechanistic Understanding and Rational Design"

  Time

  1:00 pm

  Location

  TBD

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

• Finding Cures: Journey from Software Engineering to Entrepreneurship

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  612 Conference Center Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

  Fox Family Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lecture "Finding Cures: Journey from Software Engineering to Entrepreneurship" Abhishek Pandey, PhD Interim CEO/CTO of ASERTI Pharma

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

• Nutritional Regulation of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis - Implications for Stress and Cancer Resilience

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  612 Conference Center Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

  IGB Seminar - Faculty Spotlight Lecture "Nutritional Regulation of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis - Implications for Stress and Cancer Resilience" Brett Loman, PhD Department of Animal Science; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

• Prof. Nick Jackson, UIUC, "AI-Driven Quantum Mechanical Design of Soft Materials"

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Jessica Derham - (Kalsotra Lab) - "Dynamic Expression of a Splicing Factor Promotes Cell Migration and Proliferation Following Drug-Induced, Acute Liver Injury".

  Time

  4:00 pm

  Location

  116 RAL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Abigail Spaulding (Shapiro Lab) - "Chemotherapy-induced cell stress facilitates NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity of breast cancer cells”

  Time

  4:30 pm

  Location

  116 RAL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, September 3, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Varong Pavarajarn, Chulalongkorn University (Host: Prof. Chris Rao) "When Industry Asks "How?", Scientists Ask "Why?": Molecular Interactions Behind Carbon Capture and Surface-Controlled Chemical Transformations"

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Thomas Niehaus, University of Minnesota -- "Identification of breakdown pathways for the universal damaged metabolite S-(2-succino) cysteine"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, September 4, 2026

• Biochemistry Seminar: Dr. Chang Cui (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) - "Mechanism, Structure and Inhibitor Design of Human Ribonucleotide Reductase"

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  Charles G. Miller Auditorium, B102 CLSL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

• Biology by Design: From Directed Evolution to Autonomous Experimentation

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  612 Conference Center Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

  IGB Seminar - Director's Office "Biology by Design: From Directed Evolution to Autonomous Experimentation" Huimin Zhao, PhD Steven L. Miller Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Bioengineering; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, September 10, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. David Gracias, Johns Hopkins University (Host: Prof. Hyun Joon Kong) "Physical Intelligence at the Interface of Biology and Engineering"

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Houra Merrikh, Vanderbilt University -- "Regulation of replication restart after conflicts with transcription"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, September 11, 2026

• Biochemistry Seminar: Dr. Cheng-Ming Chiang (UT Southwestern Medical Center) - "Phospho-BRD4 IDR-Targeting Compounds as Antiviral and Anticancer Agents"

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  Charles G. Miller Auditorium, B102 CLSL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

• Final Defense of Genesis Rios-Adorno "TBA"

  Time

  10:00 am

  Location

  3217 Everitt Lab

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Prof. Dayne Swearer, Northwestern University, "Catalytic Chemistry Far from Equilibrium"

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, September 17, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Janani Sampath, University of Florida (Host: Prof. Charles Sing)

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Nidia Sequeira Trovao, Pathobiology/University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign -- "The Genetic Traceability of Viral Pathogens Across the One Health Spectrum"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, September 18, 2026

• Angela Thomas, Final Defense, UIUC, "Title TBA"

  Time

  9:00 am

  Location

  Roger Adams Labortatory, 600 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL, Room 419

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Biochemistry Seminar: Dr. Hong Jin (Univeristy of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) - "Translation beyond Initiation, Elongation and Termination"

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  Charles G. Miller Auditorium, B102 CLSL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

• Parr Lecture in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Prof. Yong Wang, Washington State University (host: Prof. Chris Rao/CHBE) "From Catalytic Insights to Transformative Technologies"

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

• Prof. Hsing-Ta Chen, University of Notre Dame, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Emma Thames (Stadtmueller Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  Location

  116 RAL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, September 24, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Wenyu Huang, Iowa State University (Host: Prof. Hong Yang)

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Michael Gray, University of Alabama -- "How oral streptococci respond to the antimicrobial oxidants found in saliva"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, September 25, 2026

• Biochemistry Seminar: Dr. C. Shan Xu (Yale) - "Enhanced FIB-SEM: A High-Resolution 3D Imaging Platform for Biology"

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  Charles G. Miller Auditorium, B102 CLSL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Monday, September 28, 2026

• Prof. Lauren Rajakovich, University of Washington, "Title: TBD"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Lab

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

• Prof. Martin Mosquera, Montana State University, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, October 1, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Sapna Sarupria, University of Minnesota (Host: Prof. Baron Peters) "Molecular Design of Excipient Formulations for Stable Biologics"

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, October 2, 2026

• Biochemistry Seminar: Dr. Yan Zhang (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) - "TBA"

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  Charles G. Miller Auditorium, B102 CLSL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Alumni and Graduate Awards

  Time

  4:30 pm

  Location

  Levis Faculty Center, Room 300

  • Ceremony/Service

  

Saturday, October 3, 2026

• ChBE Homecoming Tailgate

  Time

  All Day

  Location

  Gies Memorial Stadium and surrounding area

  • Sporting Event

  

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Brandon C. Bukowski, Johns Hopkins University (Host: Elizabeth Bickel Rogers)

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

• 'Fola Adesanya (Kalsotra Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  Location

  116 RAL

  • Ceremony/Service

  

• Diptatanu Das (Kalsotra Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:30 pm

  Location

  Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, October 8, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Hongliang Xin, Virginia Tech (Host: Prof. Alex Mironenko)

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Kelsey Hatzell, Princeton University (Host: Prof. Theresa Schoetz)

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Karine Gibbs, University of California - Berkeley -- "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

• Prof. Yelena Simine, McGill University, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, October 16, 2026

• Biochemistry Seminar: Dr. Sam Sternberg (Columbia University) - "RNA-guided and RNA-templated antiviral immunity"

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  Charles G. Miller Auditorium, B102 CLSL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

• Prof. Michael Wasielewski, Northwestern University, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Qianjin Jiang (Shapiro Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  Location

  Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, October 22, 2026

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Shady Amin, New York University Abu Dhabi -- "Steroid hormones produced by coral-associated bacteria modulate the coral immune response during thermal stress"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Ting Xu, University of California Berkeley, (Host: Prof. Deborah Leckband)

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

• Prof. Saumya Saurabh, New York University, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Sam Belsky (Jin Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  Location

  Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, October 29, 2026

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Zoi Rapti, Mathematics/University of Illinois Urbana-Illinois -- "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, October 30, 2026

• Biochemistry Seminar: Dr. Tom Cooper (Baylor College of Medicine) - "Mechanistic insights of RNA toxicity and disrupted RNA processing from modeling Myotonic Dystrophy in mice"

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  Charles G. Miller Auditorium, B102 CLSL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Sujit Datta, California Institute of Technology (Host: Prof. Ying Diao)

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

• Subhashis Natua (Kalsotra Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  Location

  116 RAL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Seung Jun Lee (Shapiro Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:30 pm

  Location

  116 RAL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, November 5, 2026

• Ada Doisy Lectures in Biochemistry: Dr. Andrew Dillin (University of California Berkeley ) - "TBA"

  Time

  3:30 pm

  Location

  180 Bevier Hall

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Virginia Armbrust, University of Washington -- "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, November 6, 2026

• Ada Doisy Lectures in Biochemistry: Dr. Navdeep Chandel (Northwestern University) - " Mitochondrial signaling in physiology and disease"

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  Charles G. Miller Auditorium, B102 CLSL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Monday, November 9, 2026

• Kenneth L. Rinehart Lecture in Chemical Biology, Professor Christopher J. Chang, Princeton University, "Title: TBD"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Lab

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, November 12, 2026

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Benjamin Good, Stanford University -- "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, November 13, 2026

• Biochemistry Seminar: Dr. Lucas Meirelles (Harvard/Mass General) - "Dynamic Host-Pathogen Co-Adaptation in Chronic Airway Infections”

  Time

  12:00 pm

  Location

  Charles G. Miller Auditorium, B102 CLSL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Tuesday, November 17, 2026

• CHBE 565-Thomas J. Hanratty Lecture, Prof. Timothy P. Lodge, University of Minnesota (Host: Prof. Alexa Kuenstler)

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, November 18, 2026

• Xinyi Dai (Shapiro Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, November 19, 2026

• CHBE 565-International Paper Co Seminar-Prof. Amanda Marciel, Rice University (Host: Prof. Simon Rogers)

  Time

  2:00 pm

  Location

  116 Roger Adams Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Mohammed Kaplan, University of Chicago -- "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, December 2, 2026

• Evan Hebner (Leckband) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  Location

  116 RAL

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Christina Li (K. Zhang Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:30 pm

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Thursday, December 3, 2026

• Microbiology Seminar: Dr. Jizhong Zhou, University of Oklahoma -- "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm   5:00 pm

  Location

  Charles Miller Auditorium, B102 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, December 9, 2026

• Terry Gao (Huang Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:00 pm

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

• Amna Mehfooz (K. Zhang Lab) - "TBA"

  Time

  4:30 pm

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, February 17, 2027

• Prof. Renee Frontiera, University of Minnesota, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 2:30 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, March 10, 2027

• Prof. Matthew Crane, Colorado School of Mines, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, March 31, 2027

• Prof. Teresa Head-Gordon, University of California Berkeley, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, April 7, 2027

• Prof. Allison Squires, University of Chicago, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Friday, April 30, 2027

• 2027 Flygare Memorial Lecture: Professor Paul Alivisatos, University of Chicago, TBD

  Time

  4:00 - 5:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Lecture

  

Wednesday, May 5, 2027

• Prof. Haw Yang, Princeton University, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium

  

Wednesday, May 12, 2027

• Prof. Martin Zanni, University of Wisconsin Madison, TBD

  Time

  2:00 - 3:00 pm

  Location

  CLSL B102

  • Seminar/Symposium