Forrest Michael to present spring 2026 Harold Kohn Endowed Distinguished Chemistry Alumni Lecture
Penn State Eberly College of Science alumnus Forrest Michael will present the spring 2026 Harold Kohn Endowed Distinguished Chemistry Alumni Lecture, titled “Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks: Development of New Sulfur and Selenium-Catalyzed Reactions for Organic Synthesis,” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, followed by a Q&A from 5 to 5:30 p.m., in 102 Benkovic Building on the Penn State University Park campus. This lecture is free and open to the public.
Lecture abstract
Transition-metal catalysis has revolutionized the way chemists build molecules, due in large part to the unique reactivity available to elements in the transition series. Despite these remarkable achievements, transition metal catalysts still pose potential issues with regards to their sensitivity, stability, and sustainability, spurring a search for less expensive and less sensitive alternatives. Michael will cover his research group's efforts to develop novel classes of catalysts based on sulfur and selenium, discussing the ways in which main-group elements can mimic transition metals while also having their own unique orthogonal reactivity. During their investigations, they have successfully developed new chalcogen-based catalysts that can promote synthetically useful transformations of organic compounds, including new types of alkene amination reactions, C-H functionalizations, alkene isomerizations, and phase-transfer substitutions displaying novel selectivities.
About the speaker
Michael obtained his bachelor of science degrees in chemistry and mathematics from Penn State in 1995. He went on to obtain a doctorate in the laboratory of Professor David Evans at Harvard University in 2001 and studied as a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow with Professor Robert Bergman at the University of California, Berkeley. Michael joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 2004, where he has since developed a program devoted to developing and studying novel catalytic systems for a variety of useful synthetic transformations. As part of these studies, the Michael group continues to explore fundamental organic and organometallic mechanisms in the context of reaction development.
About the Kohn Lectureship
Alumnus Harold L. Kohn and his wife, Carol K. Kohn, established this lectureship to honor and celebrate the contributions of distinguished Penn State alumni, foster a broad interest in the chemical sciences, and provide opportunities for engagement with students, faculty, and the community.