Department Seminar
Seminars are held on Wednesdays at 4:00pm. All are invited to attend.
Upcoming Seminar
Building the Future of Drug Discovery: Where Complex Cell Models, Biomaterials, Robotics, and AI Converge
Dr. Zhixiang Tong, Genentech
November 19, 2025
4:00pm-5:00pm via Zoom
Join 11/19 Zoom
Meeting ID: 858 2770 6777
Abstract
The landscape of drug discovery is being rapidly transformed by the convergence of complex cell models, advanced biomaterials, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Together, these technologies enable more predictive and scalable systems that bridge the gap between bench research and clinical reality. By uniting biological complexity with automation and computational power, we can accelerate discovery, reduce attrition, and open new frontiers for therapeutic innovation. This talk will highlight a few examples to showcase how these forces are coming together to shape the future of medicine.
Seminar Coordinator
For information and suggestions about our Department Seminar series, please contact the seminar coordinator:
Dr. Michael Schramm
Michael.Schramm@csulb.edu
Schedule
The schedule for Fall 2025 is as follows. Additional details may be added as the semester progresses.
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| November 19, 2025 | Building the Future of Drug Discovery: Where Complex Cell Models, Biomaterials, Robotics, and AI Converge | Dr. Zhixiang Tong, Genentech |
| December 3, 2025 | First Year Talks | Chemistry students, CSU Long Beach |
| December 10, 2025 | (topic: organic) | Osvaldo Gutierrez, UCLA |
Previous Seminars
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| November 12, 2025 | Let There be Light: Harnessing Water Photochemistry to Address Complex Water Challenges for a Thirsty World | Dr. Haizhou Liu, UC Riverside |
| November 5, 2025 | Computer tools to help guide pharmaceutical drug discovery | Dr. David Mobley, UC Irvine |
| October 29, 2025 | Natural and Synthetic Conductive Proteins: from Rock-Breathing Bacteria to de novo Peptide Nanowires | Dr. Allon Hochbaum, UC Irvine |
| October 22, 2025 | Gating of Ionic Transport at the Nanoscale. Lessons from Nature and Physics | Dr. Zuzanna Siwy, UC Irvine |
| October 15, 2025 | An Exploration of MOF Chemistry in Research and Teaching Labs at the University of San Diego | Dr. Lauren Benz, University of San Diego |
| October 1, 2025 | New Reactivity to Solve Chemical Challenges | Dr. Elias Picazo, USC |
| September 17, 2025 | Solvent Driven Cross-Coupling of Fluorenones for Dibenzo[g,p]chrysenes | Dr. Tetsuo Iwasawa, Ryukoku University, Shiga, Japan |
| September 10, 2025 | Uncovering Iron Surface Chemistry and Mineral Film Growth at Complex Interfaces | Dr. Kathryn Perrine, Michigan Technological University |
| September 3, 2025 | Building at the Nanoscale with Programmable Peptide-Based Building Blocks | Dr. Andrea Merg, UC Merced |
The Seminar Archive has Department Seminars from previous semesters.
The Department Seminar is supported by The Allergan Foundation.
