Date & Time: Wednesday, September 5, 2026, 16:20–18:00
Speaker: Professor Bill Morandi
Affiliation: ETH Zürich
Venue: Komatsu Hall, Building 121
Title: New Concepts for Atom and Functional Group Transfer
Professor Bill Morandi is Full Professor of Synthetic Organic Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zürich. He received a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Chemical Biology from ETH Zürich, followed by a PhD in organic synthesis under the supervision of Professor Erick M. Carreira. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research with Professor Robert H. Grubbs at the California Institute of Technology. In 2014, he became an independent Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim, Germany, and returned to ETH Zürich as a professor in 2018. His research focuses on the design of new catalytic reactions for the synthesis of small molecules and functional materials, as well as the valorization of renewable feedstocks and waste materials. In this lecture, he will present innovative concepts for atom and functional-group transfer and discuss their potential to advance efficient and sustainable organic synthesis.