Program

• Curiosity and Innovation
      Ulrich Betz, VP of Innovation, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
• Keynote Presentation
      Professor Sarah Elizabeth Reisman, Bren Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology
• Alfred R. Bader Award for Student Innovation
      This award recognizes young chemists with a passion for innovation. Get inspired by the winners, who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in science.
• 4th Compound Challenge
      Meet the winners of this global retrosynthesis competition, who designed the best synthetic route for a target molecule.
• Are You Ready to Join the Retrosynthesis Revolution?
      Omar Mneimne, Commercial Director Digital Chemistry Solutions, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Speakers

Ulrich Betz, VP of Innovation, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Dr. Ulrich Betz, VP of Innovation at Merck, KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has 25+ years of pharmaceutical and chemical industry experience. He has held roles in the President’s Office at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Biopharma and has reported to Heads of R&D at both Bayer and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. In his current role, he designed and implemented a series of highly impactful innovation initiatives across all businesses of the Company, which has earned him multiple awards.

 

Professor Sarah Elizabeth Reisman, Bren Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology

Sarah was born and raised in Bar Harbor, Maine. She attended Connecticut College in New London, CT, where she worked in the laboratory of Prof. Timo Ovaska, and graduated with honors in 2001. In the fall of that year, Sarah enrolled in graduate studies at Yale University and joined the research group of Prof. John Wood. She earned her Ph.D. in chemistry in 2006; her thesis detailed the total synthesis of the natural product welwitindolinone A isonitrile. For her postdoctoral work, Sarah pursued studies in the field of asymmetric catalysis as an NIH fellow, working with Prof. Eric Jacobsen at Harvard University.

 

Omar Mneimne, Commercial Director Digital Chemistry Solutions, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Omar Mneimne has over 20 years of experience in chemical & manufacturing equipment sales & business development since receiving a MS in Organic Chemistry from Emory University. He is passionate about chemistry and especially what computer aided synthesis design can achieve to advance drug discovery. When he is not actively traveling to customers and building sales bridges, Omar keeps busy on his 11 acre Virginia farm.

 

 

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