2nd Frontiers of Photochemistry Conference 2020

Nassau, Bahamas, 22-25 February 2020

The second biannual Frontiers in Photochemistry (FIP) Conference focused on both fundamental and application aspects of photons in chemistry. The full conference schedule features sessions on biological and bioinspired photochemistry, photoswitches, ultrafast processes, photoactive materials, photocatalytic mechanisms, upconversion/singlet fission, and new chromophore design. The sessions featured talks from renowned chemists in each field - Michael Wasielewski (Northwestern), Claudia Turro (Ohio State), Phil Castellano (NC State), Amy Prieto (Colorado), James McCusker (Michigan State), Leif Hammarstrom (Uppsala), and Malcolm Forbes (BGSU). Although, the comments from conference attendees was consistently that every talk was stellar and communicated meaningful take-away messages. 

The meeting was chaired by Profs. Amanda J. Morris (Virginia Tech), Maria Abrahamsson (Chalmers), and Jeffrey Rack (University of New Mexico). The meeting audience was composed of leading researchers and excellent PhD students and Post-Docs from the USA, France, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Sweden and Australia. We are also extremely proud to have a strong gender balance within our speaker line up, with 47% female and 53% male.

The conference features a unique format to other photochemistry meetings. First and foremost, the Fusion framework provides for an intimate conference experience. Indeed, the small size of the conference enables participants to talk to the vast majority (if not all) conference attendees. These informal interactions facilitated by the mentoring luncheon, networking refreshment breaks, poster sessions, and group dinners lead to insight sharing across fields (e.g. from molecules to materials), collaborations, and meaningful connections across different academic levels (e.g. graduate students and renowned professors). Second, the conference location and all-inclusive nature keeps conference participants engaged and interacting even during the ample free time provided. It should also be noted that the Bahamas location provides a nice respite from the colder winter months for many of us. Lastly, the conference is family-friendly and many participants bring along guests. The guests were welcome at all conference activities including poster sessions, group dinners, and the gala dinner. Therefore, parents of young children can fully participate in the conference, while also enjoying their family. Taken together, the benefits of the Fusion conferences solidify FIP as a unique and appreciated addition to the photochemistry field. 

‘Speaking at a conference with a small, intimate group of peers enables good discussion, and is always attractive. Moreover, this Fusion conference was held in a setting that encouraged us to bring our family, which is unusual for most meetings.  The schedule was very favorable for combining work and play: the open afternoons allowed us to spend quality time with our family in a beautiful place, without sacrificing good presentations and discussions.’
- Amy Prieto & Matthew Shores (Colorado State University)

We are thankful for our sponsors and media partners - Magnitude Instruments (represented at the meeting by Eric Kennehan), Bowling Green State University and the Center for Photochemical Sciences (represented at the meeting by Alexis Ostrowski and Malcolm Forbes), ACS Applied Energy Materials, American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry (represented by Lisa Berreau, Ana de Bettencourt-Dias, Jeffrey Rack, and Claudia Turro), Virginia Tech College of Science, and Virginia Tech Department of Chemistry. These sponsors contributions were used to support travel funding for younger faculty to attend the meetings from across the globe and our poster/short talk awards. 

The poster sessions were lively with many discussions, and thanks to the “Meet the Poster Presenters” session the poster presenters were given the opportunity to promote their posters and attract interests. The poster prizes were awarded based on votes from the attendees, and a clear winner in Sebastian Megow, Kiel University followed by Matthew Kessinger, Virginia Tech and a shared third prize between Nataniel Hirscher from University of Pennsylvania and Young Ju Yun, Illinois Institute of Technology. The short talk award to young faculty was awarded to Steven Lopez, Northeastern University, and pre-faculty awards were given to Michelle Chen at Northwestern University and Christopher Grieco at the Ohio State University. 

The evaluation of the first FIP conference suggested four points to address; a higher number of female speakers and session chairs, larger attendance in general and more sponsorship. The chairs together with the Fusion team addressed all of these matters, contributing to the success of the meeting.
 

The conference will focus on the frontiers (or cutting-edge) of research in the photochemical sciences. Topics to be discussed are:

• Biological and Bio-Inspired Photochemistry
• Photocatalytic Mechanisms
• Photoactive Materials
• New Chromophore Design
• Upconversion/Singlet Fission
• Ultra-fast Processes
• Photoswitches/Photochromism

Student Offer

Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity for students! Any fully paying academic can bring a student for only $850. Unfortunately, Postdocs are not eligible for this offer. Both registration packages include; accommodation for the 22, 23, 24 February 2020 (on a shared basis for students) and a 24hour all-inclusive food and beverage package for the conference period. Once registered, please contact Chloe Trundle to obtain a special registration link for your student.

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Jessica Anna (University of Pennsylvania)
PROBING THE EFFECTS OF NONCOVALENT INTERACTIONS AND SPATIAL CONFINEMENT THROUGH ULTRAFAST VISIBLE AND MID-IR SPECTROSCOPY
Ivan Aprahamian (Dartmouth College)
HYDRAZONE-BASED SWITCHES AND FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
Lisa Berreau (Utah State University)
FLAVONOLS AS VISIBLE LIGHT-INDUCED CO-RELEASING MOLECULES
Sylvestre Bonnet (Leiden University)
MOLECULAR DESIGN OF PHOTOACTIVATED CHEMOTHERAPY AGENTS BASED ON TRANSITION METALS
Phil Castellano (North Carolina State University)
PHOTOCHEMICAL UPCONVERSION: NEW PERSPECTIVES AND EMERGING DIRECTIONS
Alexis Dee Ostrowski (Bowling Green State University)
PHOTORESPONSIVE METALLOPOLYMERS WITH SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS APPLICATIONS
Jillian Dempsey (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
PHOTOTRIGGERING PROTON-COUPLED ELECTRON TRANSFER REACTIONS
Gordana Dukovic (University of Colorado Boulder)
ELUCIDATING HOW PHOTOEXCITED SEMICONDUCTOR NANOCRYSTALS DRIVE REDOX ENZYME CATALYSIS
Malcolm D. E. Forbes (Bowling Green State University)
RADICAL–TRIPLET PAIR INTERACTIONS: NEW TOOLS FOR MECHANISTIC PHOTOCHEMISTRY
Matthew Fuchter (Imperial College London)
FUN WITH PHOTOCHEMISTRY: FROM SYNTHESIS TO SWITCHING
Phoebe Glazer (University of Kentucky)
Leif Hammarström (Uppsala University)
PROTON-COUPLED ELECTRON TRANSFER IN ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Kenneth Hanson (Florida State University)
PHOTON UPCONVERSION AT DYE-METAL OXIDE INTERFACES: THE ROLE OF MOLECULAR AND MULTILAYER STRUCTURE 
Jier Huang (Marquette University)
2D COVALENT ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS AS CO2 REDUCTION PHOTOCATALYSTS
Prashant Jain (University of Illinois)
THE CHEMICAL POTENTIAL OF PLASMONIC EXCITATIONS
Elena Jakubikova (North Carolina State University)
DESIGNING BETTER IRON-BASED CHROMOPHORES: INSIGHTS FROM COMPUTATIONAL MODELING
James McCusker (Michigan State University)
SPIN-BASED CONTROL OF PHOTO-INDUCED EXCITED-STATE REACTIVITY
Gary Moore (Arizona State University)
BRIDGING HETEROGENEOUS, HOMOGENEOUS, AND ENZYMATIC CATALYSIS TO MODEL KINETICS INVOLVING COMPLEX ARCHITECTURES AND INTERFACES
Amy Prieto (Colorado State University)
DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF TERNARY METAL CHALCOGENIDE NANOPARTICLES FOR PHOTOVOLTAICS
Gwénaël Rapenne (Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse/NAIST)
MOLECULAR MOTORS AND GEARS BASED ON COORDINATION AND  ORGANOMETALLIC COMPLEXES
Joel Rosenthal (University of Delaware)
DESIGNING NON-AROMATIC TETRAPYRROLE COMPLEXES AS IMPROVED PHOTOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS 
Matthew Sfeir (The City University of New York)
INTRAMOLECULAR SINGLET FISSION IN EXTENDED SYSTEMS: OLIGOMERS, POLYMERS, AND FILMS
Hannah Shafaat (Ohio State University)
ARTIFICIAL METALLOENZYMES FOR LIGHT-DRIVEN HYDROGEN EVOLUTION AND CARBON DIOXIDE REDUCTION
Matthew Shores (Colorado State University)
INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT(S) OF NONCOVALENT INTERACTIONS ON PHOTOREACTIVITY IN CHROMIUM COMPLEXES
Petra Tegeder (University of Heidelberg)
ULTRAFAST EXCITED STATE DYNAMICS IN ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR FILMS
Claudia Turro (Ohio State University)
EXCITED STATE OF DIRHODIUM COMPLEXES FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
Tony Vlcek (Queen Mary University of London)
INTERSYSTEM CROSSING, VIBRATIONAL COHERENCE, AND THE HEAVY-ATOM EFFECT
Michael Wasielewski (Northwestern University)
NEW DIRECTIONS IN ULTRAFAST PHOTOCHEMISTRY
Elizabeth Young (Lehigh University)
PHOTO-INDUCED CHARGE TRANSFER DYNAMICS IN THIN-FILMS OF Sb₂S₃

Target Audience

Scientists working in the broad field of photochemical sciences will be interested in the conference. This may include those from academia, national laboratories, research institutes, and/or related industries. We expect a good mix of both young, emerging chemists and established leaders in the field. Additionally, efforts will be undertaken to provide representation across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.