Conference Description
The Metallocofactors 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scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages.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 scientific focus of this meeting concerns the catalytic active sites of metalloproteins––metallocofactors and their precisely tuned secondary coordination spheres––that drive the chemical reactions enabling life on Earth. These catalytic active sites have captivated a diverse community of scientists spanning a range of disciplines. Accordingly, this Gordon Research Conference unites biochemists, synthetic chemists, spectroscopists, and biologists sharing a common desire to understand how Nature uses a limited elemental toolbox to drive challenging but essential chemical transformations. Key foci of the 2024 Metallocofactors GRC will be methodologies (e.g. spectroscopy, electrochemistry), motifs (e.g. clusters), and context (nutrient cycles, repurposing/engineering of cofactors for non-natural roles).
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 February 10, 2024. Please check back for updates.
Keynote Session: Shining Light on Metallocofactors
Discussion Leaders
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Daniel Suess (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States)
Speakers
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R. David Britt (University of California, Davis, United States)
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Serena DeBeer (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Germany)
Electrifying Metallocofactors
Discussion Leaders
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Sean Elliott (Boston University, United States)
Speakers
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Alison Parkin (University of York, United Kingdom)
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Kara Bren (University of Rochester, United States)
More Metals, More Opportunities: Multimetallic Cofactors
Discussion Leaders
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Leslie Murray (University of Florida, United States)
Speakers
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Theodore Betley (Harvard University, United States)
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Neal Mankad (University of Illinois at Chicago, United States)
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Connie Lu (University of Bonn, Germany)
Nitrogenase M-Clusters: Evolution, Modeling, and Chemistry Beyond Nitrogen Fixation
Discussion Leaders
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Oliver Einsle (University of Freiburg, Germany)
Speakers
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Olaf Rudiger (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Germany)
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Patricia Dos Santos (Wake Forest University, United States)
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Patrick Holland (Yale University, United States)
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Justin North (Ohio State University, United States)
Nitrogen Beyond Fixation
Discussion Leaders
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Jonathan Caranto (University of Central Florida, United States)
Speakers
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Boran Kartal (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Germany)
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Pierre Moenne-Loccoz (OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY, United States)
Hydrogenases: Simple Substrates, Not-so-simple Metallocofactors
Discussion Leaders
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James Birrell (University of Essex, United Kingdom)
Speakers
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Ulf-Peter Apfel (Ruhr University Bochum & Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Germany)
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Chris Greening (Monash University, Australia)
Harnessing Oxygen
Discussion Leaders
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David Goldberg (Johns Hopkins University, United States)
Speakers
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Jonathan Rittle (University of California Berkeley, United States)
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Ambika Bhagi-Damodaran (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, United States)
Bespoke Metalloproteins
Discussion Leaders
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Hannah Shafaat (University of California, Los Angeles, United States)
Speakers
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Lionel Cheruzel (Genentech, United States)
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Woon Ju Song (Seoul National University, South Korea)
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Lisa Olshansky (University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign, United States)
Keynote Session: Heme: Where It's Going and How It's Getting There
Discussion Leaders
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Ekaterina Pletneva (Dartmouth College, United States)
Speakers
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Emma Raven (University of Bristol, United Kingdom)
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Dennis Stuehr (Cleveland Clinic, United States)
