Conference Description
The Biocatalysis GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.
The 2024 GRC will bring together world-leading researchers from academia and industry to discuss the latest advances in biocatalysis research and to speculate on future directions for the field. The combination of these speakers in one conference provides an outstanding opportunity to bridge fundamental and applied research and engage in active discussion. The conference will cover various cutting edge topics in the field, from new methods and technologies, computational approaches to biocatalyst design, mechanistic studies, to the design of new classes of natural and artificial enzymes. The aim will be to identify challenges and opportunities for biocatalysis to expand its range within sustainable chemistry: by adressing the need for new and/or more efficient chemical reactions such as C-H activations, halogenations, carbon capture or plastic degradation; and by implementing biocatalysis into new processes such as chemo-enzymatic reaction sequences and continuous flow chemistry. In addition to various lectures by invited experts from academia and industry, the program will include poster presentations and short talks.The hallmark of this conference is the outstanding ambiance that stimulates the establishment of new inclusive and diverse networks.
The topics, speakers, and discussion leaders for the conference sessions are displayed below. The conference chair is currently developing their detailed program, which will include the complete meeting schedule, as well as the talk titles for all speakers. The detailed program will be available by March 9, 2024. Please check back for updates.
Keynote Session: New Frontiers in Enzyme Catalysis and Biocataytic Systems
Discussion Leaders
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Joelle Pelletier (Université de Montréal, Canada)
Speakers
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Tobias Erb (Max Planck Society, Germany)
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Karen Draths (Michigan State University, United States)
Improved Enzymes Through In-silico Enzyme Design and Engineering
Discussion Leaders
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Doerte Rother (Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Germany)
Speakers
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Sílvia Osuna (University of Girona, Spain)
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Jiri Damborsky (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, Czech Republic)
New Applications of Biocatalysis with Natural Substrates
Discussion Leaders
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Rebecca Buller (Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland)
Speakers
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Alison Narayan (University of Michigan, United States)
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Sarah Lovelock (University of Manchester, United Kingdom)
New to Nature Biocatalysis
Discussion Leaders
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Birgit Kosjek (Merck & Co., Inc., United States)
Speakers
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Cathleen Zeymer (TU Munich, Germany)
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Yang Yang (University of California Santa Barbara, United States)
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Thomas Ward (University of Basel, Switzerland)
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Rudi Fasan (University of Texas at Dallas, United States)
Sustainable Chemistry Through Biocatalysis
Discussion Leaders
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John Woodley (Technical University of Denmark, Denmark)
Speakers
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Doerte Rother (Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Germany)
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Zhi Li (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
Expanding the Biocatalysis Toolbox
Discussion Leaders
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Selin Kara (Aarhus University (Denmark) & Leibniz University Hannover (Germany), Denmark)
Speakers
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Rebecca Buller (Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland)
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Jared Lewis (Indiana University, United States)
Emerging Enzymes and Enzyme Engineering
Discussion Leaders
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Claudia Schmidt-Dannert (University of Minnesota, United States)
Speakers
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Helen Hailes (University College London, United Kingdom)
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Caroline Paul (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands)
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Francesca Paradisi (University of Bern, Switzerland)
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Emma Master (University of Toronto, Canada)
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Wilfred van der Donk (HHMI and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States)
Biocatalysis in Industry
Discussion Leaders
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Nicholas Turner (University of Manchester, United Kingdom)
Speakers
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Martin Hayes (AstraZeneca R&D, Sweden)
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Stefan Lutz (Codexis Inc., United States)
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Matthew Thompson (EnginZyme AB, Sweden)
Mechanistic Understanding in Biocatalytic Systems
Discussion Leaders
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Helen Hailes (University College London, United Kingdom)
Speakers
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Bernhard Hauer (University of Stuttgart, Germany)
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Gideon Grogan (University of York, United Kingdom)
The GRC Power Hourâ„¢
Organizers
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Caroline Paul (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands)