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From Molecular Innovation to Industrial Impact: Catalysis for Sustainable API Synthesis
Wednesday 05 August 2026, 05:00pm
Professor Sachin Handa (University of Missouri, Columbia, USA), hosted by the Department of Chemical Sciences.
Location : AB2-5A
Abstract: Catalysis and sustainable chemistry are key drivers of modern innovation, enhancing efficient chemical processes and environmentally responsible technologies. In this seminar, a journey that connects fundamental discoveries with real-world applications, demonstrating how new catalytic tools and scalable aqueous technologies can reduce the environmental impact of API synthesis, will be discussed.
Our unified strategies promote resource-efficient transformations by applying green chemistry principles to minimize solvent use, energy demand, and waste generation while boosting reaction selectivity and scalability. By integrating novel catalysts—including heterogeneous, recyclable systems—with unconventional reaction media and technologies, we show that sustainable methods can outperform traditional methods without sacrificing chemical versatility. Through collaboration between academia and industry, one can develop cleaner and safer chemical manufacturing pathways. These advancements not only solve long standing synthetic challenges but also encourage next-generation technologies for a circular chemical economy.
Brief Bio: Sachin Handa is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry and a MizzouForward Faculty member at the University of Missouri–Columbia, and will become a Full Professor and the Herman G. Schlundt Professor of Chemistry from September 1, 2026. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2013 in less than four years and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 2013–2016.
Professor Handa's research focuses on green and sustainable chemistry, catalysis, nanotechnology, photochemistry, and energy-related applications, with a particular emphasis on developing environmentally responsible synthetic technologies for the pharmaceutical industry. His contributions have been recognized through numerous prestigious honors, including the 2026 Swiss Green and Sustainable Chemistry Award, the NIH R35 MIRA Award, the US NSF CAREER Award, the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, and the ACS Peter J. Dunn Award for Green Chemistry and Engineering Impact in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
Beyond fundamental research, he maintains active collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, Takeda, AbbVie, Biohaven, and NIBR, translating sustainable chemistry innovations into practical industrial applications. Professor Handa serves as an Associate Editor of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals, including Science, Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), Angewandte Chemie, Nature Communications, and ACS Catalysis. His research program has attracted more than $7 million in external funding and has produced numerous ligands and catalysts relevant to sustainable synthesis in pharmaceutical process chemistry.
Our unified strategies promote resource-efficient transformations by applying green chemistry principles to minimize solvent use, energy demand, and waste generation while boosting reaction selectivity and scalability. By integrating novel catalysts—including heterogeneous, recyclable systems—with unconventional reaction media and technologies, we show that sustainable methods can outperform traditional methods without sacrificing chemical versatility. Through collaboration between academia and industry, one can develop cleaner and safer chemical manufacturing pathways. These advancements not only solve long standing synthetic challenges but also encourage next-generation technologies for a circular chemical economy.
Brief Bio: Sachin Handa is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry and a MizzouForward Faculty member at the University of Missouri–Columbia, and will become a Full Professor and the Herman G. Schlundt Professor of Chemistry from September 1, 2026. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2013 in less than four years and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 2013–2016.
Professor Handa's research focuses on green and sustainable chemistry, catalysis, nanotechnology, photochemistry, and energy-related applications, with a particular emphasis on developing environmentally responsible synthetic technologies for the pharmaceutical industry. His contributions have been recognized through numerous prestigious honors, including the 2026 Swiss Green and Sustainable Chemistry Award, the NIH R35 MIRA Award, the US NSF CAREER Award, the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, and the ACS Peter J. Dunn Award for Green Chemistry and Engineering Impact in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
Beyond fundamental research, he maintains active collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, Takeda, AbbVie, Biohaven, and NIBR, translating sustainable chemistry innovations into practical industrial applications. Professor Handa serves as an Associate Editor of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals, including Science, Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), Angewandte Chemie, Nature Communications, and ACS Catalysis. His research program has attracted more than $7 million in external funding and has produced numerous ligands and catalysts relevant to sustainable synthesis in pharmaceutical process chemistry.
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