More than 80 scientists from around the world attended the International Congress on Theoretical Aspects of Catalysis (ICTAC) at UCLA June 24-28, 2018.
The conference, held at the UCLA Faculty Center, was organized by UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Professors Philippe Sautet and Anastassia Alexandrova with assistance from Divisional Assistant Stephanie Hotz. ICTAC is a biannual conference that started in 1986. This is only the second time that it has been held in the United States, the first time being in Berkeley in 1992. The conference is dedicated to theory and modeling in catalysis, with just a few selected experimental talks. Several major areas of catalysis were covered, including heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis, photo-catalysis, homogeneous catalysis, and enzymatic catalysis. New theoretical developments, such as modern electronic structure theory and statistical mechanics, which allow tackling previously inaccessible to theory catalytic processes, complex systems, and realistic conditions of catalysis, were also addressed.
ICTAC speakers, poster presenters, representatives of sponsors, and organizers.
The conference featured an Elsivier sponsored event, Meet Your Editors, a forum with the editors of three major journals publishing in the field of catalysis: Joachim Sauer (Journal of Catalysis), Marcal Capdevila-Cortada (Nature Catalysis), and our own Philippe Sautet (ACS Catalysis), followed by a cocktail hour with the Editors.
On the last day, three best poster awards, sponsored by Nature Catalysis, were presented toTeodora Nedik (Cal. State Long Beach), Fabrizio Silveri (Cardiff University, UK), and Kamila Kazmieczak (ENS Lyon, France).
The conference was sponsored by Nature Catalysis, ACS Catalysis, Elsevier, Gaussian Inc., and the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.
Top left: IACTC organizers, Philippe Sautet, Anastassia Alexandrova, and Stephanie Hotz. Top right: two of the Nature Catalysis poster prize winners: Fabrizio Silveri and Kamila Kazmieczak posing with their awards, together with conference organizers and Marcal Capdevila-Cortada (Nature Catalysis). Bottom: at the poster session.
Photos by Penny Jennings/UCLA Department of Chemistry & BIochemistry.