St. John’s Department of Chemistry Hosts William H. Nichols Symposium and Medal Presentation

The Department of Chemistry at St. John’s University proudly hosted the 2025 William H. Nichols Distinguished Symposium and Medal Presentation during the spring semester in the D’Angelo Center on the University’s Queens, NY, campus.

Presented by the New York Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Nichols Medal is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of chemistry. Past recipients of this award have collectively gone on to earn 20 Nobel Prizes and 33 National Medals of Science. 

The 2025 Nichols Medalist was Benjamin F. Cravatt, Ph.D., Professor and Norton B. Gilula Chair in Biology and Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, who delivered the keynote address, “Activity-Based Protein Profiling—Target and Ligand Discovery on a Global Scale.” The symposium’s theme, “Advancing Biology Through Innovations in Chemistry,” brought together leading researchers in the field, including Stavroula Hatzios, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and of Chemistry, Yale University; Tom W. Muir, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Chemistry, Princeton University; and Damian Young, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine.

“This was a unique and valuable opportunity for our students and faculty to engage directly with world-renowned scientists and their groundbreaking research,” said Alison G. Hyslop, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Graduate Division; Professor of Chemistry; and 2016 Past Chair of the New York Section of the American Chemical Society. “A hallmark of the symposium is its student-centered approach. Speakers are encouraged to interact with students following their presentations, fostering meaningful conversations and mentorship opportunities.”

In recognition of the University’s role as host, St. John’s University received a Salute to Excellence Award from the New York Section of the ACS. Elise G. Megehee, Ph.D., Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, St. John’s University, accepted the award from Eric Chang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Pace University, and Chair, New York Section, American Chemical Society.