Our team made a strong impact at the fifth annual Scientific Endeavours in Academia (SEA) interdisciplinary research conference, held April 8–9, 2026. Everyone stepped into the spotlight to share their work, and the results speak for themselves.
A special congratulations to:
– Olivia, who won Best Chemistry Talk in the graduate and post-doctoral fellow category.
– Rylan, who received the Best Chemistry Poster award in the graduate and post-doctoral fellow category.
– Padma, who was awarded both the Gong Show Best Presentation (graduate or undergraduate) and the Vice-President (Academic) Best Talk (graduate or undergraduate).
We are also proud to recognize everyone who presented their work at the conference:
– Megan F. gave an oral presentation and participated in the Gong Show.
– Megan G. Mikhailey, Emily, Jane, Kate, and Hy showcased their research through poster presentations.
Check out the pictures below.
This in-person, two-day event provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase our research, connect with fellow scientists, and celebrate the incredible work being done across our group. Whether through poster presentations, oral talks, or Gong Show, we demonstrated the depth and diversity of our research in Green Chemistry.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to push the boundaries of science and innovation. For questions or to learn more about our group’s work, feel free to reach out to us directly. We can’t wait to build on this momentum and achieve even greater success together!
Filed under: Achievements in the group | Tags: ACS Green Chemistry Institute, green chemistry, Green polymers, Joseph Breen Memorial Fellowship, Memorial University
We are proud to celebrate Mikhailey Wheeler from Memorial University for her outstanding accomplishments in green chemistry this month.
Mikhailey recently delivered a successful Ph.D. departmental seminar, showcasing her innovative research. In addition, she has been honoured with the prestigious Joseph Breen Memorial Fellowship from the ACS Green Chemistry Institute. This award recognizes her exceptional contributions to advancing sustainable chemistry and supports her participation at the upcoming 30th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference in San Antonio this June. Check out this LinkedIn Post from ACS Green Chemistry Institute.
Mikhailey’s work exemplifies our commitment to cutting-edge research in sustainable materials, green synthesis, and environmental solutions. Look at the pictures below, from rocking the seminar stage to winning prestigious awards, Mikhailey is showing us all that science isn’t just about experiments, it’s about having a blast while changing the world! 😀
Congratulations to Mikhailey on these well-deserved recognitions!
Filed under: Achievements in the group
We are thrilled to announce that Sarah Boudreau has successfully defended her PhD thesis! After years of dedication and hard work, Sarah has grown into an exceptional chemist, thanks in large part to the guidance of her supervisors, Fran Kerton and Edmond Lam.
Sarah’s journey was marked not only by her scientific achievements but also by the strong connections she formed along the way. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and excited to see where her passion for scientific communication and chemistry will take her next.
Wishing Sarah all the best as she spends the summer in Newfoundland and prepares for her next chapter in research or industry!
Check out her LinkedIn
Filed under: Group News | Tags: green chemistry, Green polymers, Non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPU), students, Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
We’re excited to share that members of our group (Green Chemistry and Catalysis) are featured in Picture Us: A Research at Memorial Event, celebrating Memorial University’s centennial by highlighting the vibrant and diverse research happening across campus.
What is Picture Us?
Picture Us is a unique initiative by the Office of the Vice-President (Research) that showcases impactful research through compelling photos of researchers and their work. Up to 100 researchers or research teams were featured in a series of art exhibits, bringing science and creativity together in inspiring ways.
Our Team’s Highlights:
February Feature: Fran’s photo, captured alongside Olivia and the UHPLC-MS (Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry), also known as Remy, was selected for the February exhibit.
March Feature: Chris’s photo, captured with Padma showcasing a non-isocyanate polyurethane polymer (NIPU) made from sustainable algae oil, was featured in the March exhibit.
Both Fran and Chris submitted photos, and we’re proud to see their work recognized in this special celebration of research at Memorial.
Filed under: Chemistry Professors, Conferences, Group News, Group Photos, Science, Students
MUN profs and students at Science Atlantic ChemCon. Thank you MSVU for a great conference
We are all just back from travels in the Maritime provinces of Canada. The Profs (Chris Kozak and Fran Kerton) attended Science Atlantic ChemCon hosted by Mount Saint Vincent University – along with Mike Katz, Chris Flinn and many of our undergraduates. Memorial will be hosting next year – so do consider paying us a visit. Jen Murphy and Tim Anderson took part in the Canadian Chemical Crystallography Workshop also held in Halifax.
Then the big event followed – the 99th CSC in Halifax. Chris, Fran, Jen, Hart and Kaijie gave talks in the green chemistry symposium organized by Chris Kozak and Rob Singer. Tim, Kaijie and Hart also presented posters during the conference. Above are two photos from this conference. Jen Murphy and Kaijie Ni won talk/journal prizes from Green Chemistry and Catalysis Science & Technology. On our last night, we headed to the Halifax Ale House to celebrate our #ChemFam with honorary group member Dr. Louise Dawe from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Congratulations to all members of the group who were recognized at the 2015/16 Graduate Studies Award Ceremony. Yi Liu (PhD candidate), Kata Devaine-Pressing (PhD candidate) and Kaijie Ni (PhD candidate) were recognized as Fellows of the School of Graduate Studies (and are pictured below with Fran and Chris). Former group members Coralee Ridder and Valerie Parsons were recognized as Fellows in absentia because they are working in industry and could not attend. Erika Butler and Jochen Koerner were recognized for their prestigious scholarships (an NSERC CGS-M and a Royal Bank Fellowship for Marine Studies respectively).
Well done everyone!
Congratulations to Jen (PhD Candidate, Kerton Group) who was honoured at the School of Graduate Studies Awards Ceremony.
Jen Murphy at School of Graduate Studies Award Ceremony
Also, congratulations to Greg Curtis (MSc, Kerton Group, 2014) on his new job with a start-up company as a medicinal green chemist. He will be using supercritical carbon dioxide in his new work and is about to jet off to his first business meeting/team building exercise in Pittsburgh.
Well done everyone!
Thank you UNB for hosting an epic ChemCon this year! We had so much fun and made many new friends. Congratulations to all group members on their talks and posters, with an extra special congrats to Jen Murphy on her Best Graduate Oral Presentation Prize. We are already looking forward to ChemCon 2016 at MSVU next year. Dr. Kozak is ready to be auctioned off to join another quiz team in aid of fundraising for ChemCon 2017 at MUN.
Green Chem & Cat Group at ChemCon 2015, UNB
The Green Chemistry and Catalysis Group at our graduate student recruiting booth. Nice pose, Dr. Kozak!
http://today.mun.ca/news.php?id=9498.
The University is starting to prepare the site of the new Science building. Chemistry is one of the departments that will move in here!
Group at the Underbelly (Yellow Belly Brewery) postgame
At the Icecaps game
At the Icecaps game
Teddy Toss Success – The van is full
Buddy abusing the bears
Face-off!
Green Chemistry @ MUN 