Department Events

Tuesday, February 24th, 2026

Dr. Marco De Vivo

Laboratory of Molecular Modelling & Drug Discovery

from the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy

Decoding Biochemical Complexity with Simulations and AI-Enhanced Sampling

^{In my contribution, I will illustrate our recent efforts to understand complex chemical processes in biochemistry through molecular simulations. I will present and discuss our work on dissecting the molecular mechanisms by which enzymes perform their complex functions. Examples will include the mechanism of DNA translocation by polymerase (Pol) enzymes, a critical step in Pol-mediated nucleic acid polymerization, and the mechanism for splicing in group II introns and the human spliceosome. The goal is to understand complex chemical processes characterized by critical conformational changes that are difficult to capture with equilibrium molecular dynamics or with simple collective variables for enhanced-sampling simulations. I will explain how these problems were tackled through advanced simulations and AI-guided enhanced sampling, decoding molecular mechanisms that align well with the experimental evidence. Our efforts demonstrate how such approaches can address (bio)chemical questions of increasing complexity, where identifying the proper collective variable is inherently challenging. These mechanistic insights are then coupled to computational and medicinal chemistry used to design and realize potent inhibitors for drug discovery in cancer and neurological disorders.} 

Virtual Seminar - 10 am / Location: B716

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Wednesday, February 25th, 2026

Virtual Seminar - 4pm ET (Eastern/Canada)

Hosted by: Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) & UNSW RNA Institute

Zoom Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JQgWMW5PQ0qNqre0E53MtA

“Characterization of mRNA Loaded LNPs by Analytical Ultracentrifugation"

Sophia Bird

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge

“Development of CRISPR-RfxCas13d Antiviral Therapeutics against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus"

Michael D'Souza

PhD Candidate, Laboratory of Medicinal Biophysics; Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge

“Are long non-coding RNA master regulators of behaviour?"

Kelly Clemens, PhD

Associate Professor in the School of Psychology, UNSW

Moderators:

Laura Keffer-Wilkes
ARRTI, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

Pall Thordarson
Professor, School of Chemistry, UNSW, Australia; Director, UNSW RNA Institute

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Thursday, February 26th, 2026

Dr. Shira Joudan from the University of Alberta

Time:  1:30 PM / Location: C674                                             Hosted By

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Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026

Dr. Omid Haji-Ghassemi from the University of Calgary

In-person Seminar - 12 pm / Location: B716

More info to follow in upcoming weeks.

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Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Craig Sommer

Presentation -Time:  1:30 PM / Location: C674

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Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Ty Dudas

Presentation -Time:  1:30 PM / Location: C674

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Tuesday March 24, 2026

Stacie Nelson

Presentation -Time:  1:30 PM / Location: C674

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Thursday, April 2nd 2026

Dr. Marc MacKinnon from the University of Alberta

Time:  1:30 PM / Location: C674                                            Hosted By

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Tuesday April 7, 2026

Elizabeth Trofimenkoff

Presentation -Time:  1:30 PM / Location: C674

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Thursday April 9, 2026

Dr. Paul Hazendonk

Presentation -Time:  1:30 PM / Location: C674

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Tuesday, April 14th, 2026

Dr. Omar El-Halfaway from the University of Regina

In-person Seminar - 12 pm / Location: B716

More info to follow in upcoming weeks.

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Friday, May 8th, 2026

Rob Gruninger from AgriFoods Canada

In-person Seminar - 3 pm / Location: C640

More info to follow in upcoming weeks.

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