Robert H. Grubbs, a world-renowned chemist and Nobel Prize recipient, will be the next speaker in the annual MacLean Lectureship series.

Grubbs is the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, and is know for synthesizing widely-used Grubbs catalysts — an endeavour that earned him the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The catalysts, a family of transition metal carbene complexes, are now employed by academic and industry-based researchers around the globe. They’re commonly used in everything from the construction of baseball bats and car body panels to the creation of new pharmaceuticals.

Grubbs has been a “transformative figure” in synthetic chemistry for more than three decades says Alex Adronov, professor and associate chair, Graduate Studies, in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.

Having him on campus for two days will be extremely beneficial for graduate students working in chemistry, as well as those from different faculties and departments who wish to hear lectures from a Nobel Prize-winning researcher.

“The students coordinated this entire event, and they have a Nobel laureate at their disposal for two days,” offers Adronov. “It’s sure to be inspirational.”

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Grubbs has been the recipient of numerous awards, including: the Sloan Fellowship, the Benjamin Franklin Medal, the Herman Mark Award, the Herbert Brown Award and the Arthur C. Cope Award.

The MacLean Lectureship will feature two events — a Thursday, May 7 lecture tailored for a more general audience, and a Friday, May 8 event that will involve an in-depth discussion of synthetic chemistry and Grubbs’ primary work.

Both lectures will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Arthur Bourns Building, Room 102. Members of the campus community are welcome to attend.