By Professor Mark Lautens, Chair

Chemistry is delighted to be launching our latest edition of Distillations.

It has been over a decade since we last published news from the Department of Chemistry, and so much has happened during that interregnum: new appointments, ongoing construction of a new addition to the Lash Miller Laboratories, and a new Chair (me) after a decade of outstanding service by Rob Batey.

Rob led us through the difficult days of the Covid pandemic when uncertainty was the only thing that was certain. We collectively thank (and thanked) Rob for his dedication and multitude of contributions at our first in-person department reception in 3 years. It was wonderful to gather again and share some laughs and tributes to Rob.

The pandemic impacted our graduate students’ ability to work full time in the labs, while limiting in-person attendance at undergraduate lectures at various points over a two-year period. We now stand stronger on the other side, changed but continuing our focus on delivering excellent education at the undergraduate and graduate level. Some changes are welcome, including more flexibility with meetings held on-line including the final doctoral defence. We all still prefer to meet in-person to share the triumphs of the students when they are successful!

The Department has welcomed many new faculty in recent years, including Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik, who joined us from Harvard as a Canada 150 Excellence Chair. Thanks to his leadership as Director of the Acceleration Consortium, the UofT secured the largest grant in Canadian history. The construction project, in the location of our former undergraduate lecture rooms, is well underway with a completion date of 2026. The AC as it is universally known, will aim to accelerate discovery of new materials, new medicines, improved formulations and impact science, engineering and medicine by combining robotics with AI/ML. 

Half the members of the AC are Chemistry faculty including new hires Professor’s Helen Tran, Sophie Rousseaux as well as established faculty Dwight Seferos, Rob Batey and Eugenia Kumacheva. We are excited to see the promise of the AC realized in the coming years thanks to this amazing collection of scientists and with the strong support of the Dean of Arts and Science, Melanie Woodin.

In addition, we recruited Professor Anatole von Lilienfeld from Vienna, and he holds the Ed Clark Chair in Advanced Materials and CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute. He is also cross appointed to Engineering.

The department also welcome new Teaching Stream Assistant Professor Aya Sakaya, who did doctoral work at McGill, and CLTA Professor Kylie Luska, who joins us from McGill via McMaster. 

Chemistry is continually seeking innovative and dedicated researchers and professors. At present we have an ongoing search for an experimental Physical Chemist who will take the position vacated when University Professor and Nobel Laureate John Polanyi retired.

John's retirement marked a significant milestone for the department. To honour him, we have renamed the Lash Miller Research Labs, and he was kind enough to provide a painting done by his spouse, the internationally known artist Brenda Bury. This portrait hung in his office for decades and we are pleased to share it with all visitors to the department in its new location in our building foyer, at the entrance of the John C. Polanyi Research Wing.  A display was also created and installed nearby, to share the story of John’s life and the discoveries that led to his sharing the Nobel Prize. Please come back and visit us to see the changes.

I was honoured to be asked to lead the Department of Chemistry in 2023. My goals are to increase engagement with our students, past and present, to improve support for our graduate students, and to grow our undergraduate program as we enter a world of ever-increasing instability.  The University and Department are navigating new realities of imposed tuition freezes and limits on international students, both at the graduate and undergraduate level. Geopolitical forces seem to change by the day. One of my plans is to reach out to alumni and ask you to consider donations that can change the life of a student, or a faculty research trajectory. You will read about one recent donation and additional stories are on the way. Your support has never been more important.

We now stand stronger on the other side of the pandemic, changed but continuing our focus on delivering excellent education at the undergraduate and graduate level. –Prof. Mark Lautens

About Distillations

Distillations is published by the University of Toronto Department of Chemistry and the Office of Advancement of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences