On May 29^th 2017, the 6^th edition of the Grubbs Symposium took place at SUSTech, named after Chemistry Nobel Prize winner Robert H. Grubbs, member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Engineering, the Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The symposium was sponsored by the Department of Chemistry.

Symposium site

Special visiting guests at the symposium included United States California Institute of Technology Professor of Chemistry and member of the National Academy of Sciences Gregory C. Fu, Canada University of Maxwell’s Professor of Chemistry and Royal Canadian Academy of Sciences and Engineering Shiping Zhu, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Nankai University and Tsinghua University professor Cheng Jinpei as well as many other famous and notable scholars and academicians from the field.

Zhao Yousheng’s speech

On the morning of May 29^th, the opening ceremony of the forum was held in SUSTech’s first scientific research hall. The university’s director of scientific research Zhao Yousheng delivered an opening speech in which he welcomed the forum guests, and said the Department of Chemistry being one of the key departments of the university must gain valuable experience from the top international researchers from the field, and the establishment of the Shenzhen Grubbs Institute will serve as an attraction point.

Grubbs’ report

Robert H. Grubbs gave a report on the latest research progress entitled “Design and Applications of Selective Olefin Metathesis Catalysts”. He pointed out in the report that through the optimization of organometallic catalysts and ligands, cross-olefin decomposition reactions can achieve high efficiency and high selectivity of the synthesis of these methods provides an important means for the synthesis of drugs and other areas.

During the two-day forum, experts and scholars will bring 22 exciting reports, covering new drugs, new materials and new energy as well as other cutting-edge research.

The Grubbs Symposium has been held from 2012 to 2015 in Ningbo, China. The forum aims to bring together domestic and international selective researchers and scientists and its industry academicians, business leaders and young scholars to share the latest research results and trends, to explore the future opportunities, and jointly promote the latest academic progress, industrial innovation and cooperation opportunities. It is one of the major academic events in China and serves to vigorously strengthen the catalytic, synthetic chemical and other related industries in the country as well as to build relationships with foreign counterparts.

Contributed by: Department of Chemistry

Photos by: Wu Bingzhen

Edited by: Jeremy Welburn