Symposium

Transforming Tomorrow: Catalysis in Life Sciences

April 28, 2026​ | Cambridge, MA, USA


Overview

Catalytic processes have long been a driving force across life science products, and their relevance continues to grow. Join us for a one-day symposium where leading experts from across the industry and academia share fresh insights into catalysis. Discover how catalytic strategies and products are shaping innovation today, from selecting the right catalyst to optimizing reaction modes and exploring continuous flow.

Whether you're developing sustainable pharmaceuticals, optimizing reaction conditions, or exploring continuous flow processes, this symposium offers practical insights and real-world applications. In addition to expert talks, you'll have the opportunity to network with peers.

Don’t miss this opportunity to spark new ideas, exchange knowledge, and drive innovation in your work.

Key learnings for participants

  • Designing efficient and sustainable pharmaceutical processes
  • Designing batch and continuous processes
  • Advances in heterogeneous catalysis




Note: Please fill in your details and click 'Submit' to register for the workshop. Once we have received your registration, we will send you a status notification as soon as possible. Due to the high demand for our workshops, we sometimes need to reject registrations or put you on a waiting list. Workshop materials will be available for download at the end of the workshop. Any photographs taken during the event are the property of Evonik and may be used for promotional purposes.


Details
Participation fee: Free of charge 
Workshop language: English



Agenda
The symposium will start at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, and finish at 4:15 p.m. on the same day. To see the detailed workshop program please click here.



Venue
The workshop will take place at:
Evonik
238 Main St, Cambridge
Massachusetts
USA

Fill out the form to register for the workshop:

Agenda

08:30 am | Registration & Light refreshments
Eric Neuffer
Drug Substance Business Head – New Business Development
Evonik Health Care

09:00 am | Welcome & Introduction
Gustavo Castro
Sr. Business Manager for North America
Evonik Catalysts

Anil Saxena
Head of Americas RD&I Open Innovation
Evonik Americas, Research, Development & Innovation

09:10 am | Heterogeneous Catalysis in Flow Chemistry & Nickel Foam
ShaRee Thomas
Applied Technology Manager
Evonik Catalysts

09:15 am | Hybrid-AI Digital Twins for Modeling & Scaling a Batch to Continuous Catalytic Hydrogenation
Trevor Murray
Strategic Account Executive – Life Sciences
Basetwo AI

10:35 am | Overcoming the Selectivity Issue in a Nickel Catalyzed Batch Hydrogenation
Michael Nonnenmacher
Director Global Business Development Differentiating Technologies for Drug Substance
Evonik Health Care

11:15 am | Using Interfacial Charge Separation to Understand and Control Catalysis
Prof. Yogesh Surendranath
Donner Professor of Science; Professor of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

12:00 pm | Lunch & Networking

01:00 pm | Heterogeneous Catalysis in CC Coupling
Maxim Radzhabov
Project Leader
Evonik Catalysts

01:40 pm | Selective Oxygenate Chemistry with Solid Acid Catalysts
Prof. Friederike Jentoft
Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
University of Massachusetts Amherst

02:25 pm | Guest Speaker
Andrea Adamo, Founder & CEO
Lorenzo Milani, Senior Chemical Engineer
Zaiput Flow Technologies

03:05 pm | Guest Speaker

03:45 pm | Lab Tour

04:15 pm | Conclusion of Event



​
Disclaimer
Notice for business transactions
We assume that you are not currently or foreseeably involved in a business decision in favour of or in direct connection with the Evonik Group or, if this is the case, the decision will not be influenced by this invitation. Therefore, we do not see any concerns on our part regarding your participation. However, we would like to ask you to ensure that you are allowed to accept the invitation in accordance with the regulations that apply to you.

Note for public officials
We assume that you are not or have not been involved in any official act in favour of or in connection with the Evonik Group, either now or in the foreseeable future or in the past and therefore your participation in the event is not subject to any concerns. In addition, we ask you to ensure that your superior approves your participation or you may also accept the invitation in accordance with the rules applicable to you. By registering or participating, you confirm to us that the acceptance of this invitation is permitted according to your internal rules and that you have obtained all necessary approvals. If this is not the case, we ask you for a corresponding note.

Tax notices
Any tax liability resulting from this event will be borne by Evonik Industries AG through a flat-rate tax levy pursuant to Section 37b of the German Income Tax Act (EStG). If you are not taxable in Germany, please clarify whether you must report the invitation to your employer for taxation or whether taxation must be made via your income tax return.



QUESTIONS? 

Likhitha Bingham
Marketing Analyst
+1 256-783-9347

Cléa Michel

Cléa Michel is product manager for Cell Culture Ingredients at Evonik Health Care. She provides biopharma companies and media manufacturers with the finest specialty ingredients to increase cell culture performance. Cléa has a background in biochemistry and biotechnology engineering and holds a master’s degree from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Lyon, France. She has held various positions in marketing, project management and business development and is passionate about innovative solutions that enable the successful development of life-saving biopharmaceuticals.
Dr. Stephan Brinkmann

Stephan Brinkmann works as project manager and head of Evonik's Biopharma Applications group at Evonik R&D for the Health Care business line. He is responsible for biopharma innovation projects as well as application tests of Evonik's cell culture ingredients (i.e., cQrex® peptides). Stephan studied molecular biotechnology at Bielefeld University in Germany, where he specialized in biopharma upstream and downstream process development. Before joining Evonik, Stephan worked in Switzerland on industrial mammalian cell line development for the production of therapeutic biologics. Stephan obtained his Ph.D. in a public private partnership with Sanofi and later Evotec at Fraunhofer IME in Giessen with a focus on the discovery of natural products, especially peptides.

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