The Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) for High-Throughput Chemistry and Chemical Biology is a two-day conference designed to highlight the state-of-the-art advances in high-throughput methods for new screening technologies, high-quality molecular library development and cross-disciplinary chemical biology methods to unite the fields of synthetic chemistry and molecular biology. The goal of the GRS is to promote the research of early career scientists and develop the next leaders in the field of drug discovery. A successful scientific program, effective professional development, and synergistic interactions between early career scientists and senior researchers will be achieved through three specific aims: (1) Development of a cutting-edge scientific program presenting recent advances from the fields of high-throughput chemistry and chemical biology. (2) Creation of mentorship/career opportunities for early career scientist (3) Promotion of increased and sustained scientific discourse between GRS and GRC participants for fostering new innovative ideas in the area of drug discovery. The GRS features presentations by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who are emerging leaders in their respective fields. Attendance of the GRS is capped at 50 participants. The intimate size and location of a GRS provides an environment for junior scientists to present their research to their immediate peers facilitates spirited scientific discourse and encourages participation throughout the duration of both the GRS and the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) to immediately follow. The two-day scientific program will include three scientific sessions and two poster sessions. Ten scientific talks will be presented with adequate time for discussion. All presentations will be by graduate students or postdoctoral researchers with the exception of a Keynote address by Professor Jim Wells, (UCSF), an internationally recognized leader in protein engineering, biochemistry, and drug discovery. To foster interactions with senior researchers, each session will be co-chaired by a senior research scientist and either a graduate student or postdoctoral researcher. Finally, a formal professional development/ career panel will conclude the conference. The panel will be composed of academics, industrial scientists and a postdoctoral research fellow.
Drug discovery benefits from a continual infusion of new ideas from many disciplines associated with this field specifically including the disciplines of high- throughput chemistry and chemical biology. Further, continued progress and sustained innovation for the field requires a continuous influx of new scientists contributing new ideas and becoming integrated into the field of drug discovery. The Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) provides such a forum, by bringing in graduate student and postdoctoral researchers to present the latest results in their respective fields, and encourages their scientific development through formal mentorship/career development components.
