Industry Program

A Session in Honour of the Late Dr Adele Buckley (AN) [Industry]

Organizers
Holly Lee, SCIEX
John Marshall, Toronto Metropolitan University

Description:
Dr Adele Buckley, the Founding Vice President of SCIEX, has passed away in 2025 and this symposium is held in her honor. Dr Adele Buckley was a pioneering scientist and played an important role in the Science in Society Movement: Pugwash. “Dr Buckley, the first female Ph.D. graduate of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS). Dr Buckley was a physicist, engineer, and environmental scientist, a visionary leader and a true pioneer in disarmament and environmental sustainability. She was a founding partner of SCIEX, the developer and manufacturer of mass spectrometry systems, which now has extensive worldwide installations.” The mass spectrometric technology that started at SCIEX in part with her Ph.D. thesis was seminal in founding this leading Canadian high technology company and is still internationally important today. Dr. Adele Buckley was, and remains, a role model for aspiring female scientists. In addition to honouring her achievements with impactful science that leveraged the mass spectrometry legacy she helped build at SCIEX, this session also welcomes new and female scientists who continue to make significant contributions to the field of LC-MS/MS research.

Invention to Innovation Research Commercialization Workshop (i2I) (CE) [Industry]

Organizers
Jim McLellan, Queen’s University
Valerie Ward, University of Waterloo

Description:
This workshop will help researchers interested in commercializing their research learn to identify and prioritize application areas for their technologies and research, identify early stage strategic decisions that will impact the future potential of their research, learn to identify or create market opportunities for their research, and understand and validate the needs and players served by their innovation.

Envisioning the Future of Canada’s Chemistry Industries (EG) [Industry]

Organizers
Jonathan Webb, Imperial Oil

Description:
Chemical, energy and resource industries in Canada contribute more than $100 billion to national GDP and employ more than 150 thousand people. These industries are comprised of small, medium and large companies spanning this country that produce goods, medicines and energy to support our modern lives. Despite the value that these industries provide for our society and economy they are facing headwinds including uncertainty in trade policy, increasing regulation, lagging R&D investment, and skill mismatches in the workforce/labour markets that challenge their short and long-term viability. These industries rely on chemists, chemical engineers and research institutions as essential contributors to innovation and execution from early-stage R&D through commercialization and continued operation. This panel session of industry leaders will share perspectives on the contributions needed from today’s chemists, chemical engineers and research institutions to support thriving Canadian chemical, energy and resource industries into the future.

Sources, Fate, and Occurrence of Contaminants in the Environment (EN) [Industry]

Organizers
Cora Young, York University
Chunjiang An, Concordia University
Holly Lee, SCIEX

Description:
This session will focus on organic and inorganic contaminants in the environment. Submissions that increase our understanding of the occurrence of contaminants in the environment, as well as their sources and fates, are welcomed.

Fouling: What is this? How did it get here? How do we get rid of it? (MT) [Industry]

Organizers
Véronique Laberge, Imperial Oil Limited

Description:
Foulant is a general term describing the unwanted accumulation of material on surfaces. It results in poor heating/flow efficiencies, downtime and/or contaminated product. Mitigation and prevention strategies exist at the interface of chemistry and engineering as they are dependent on the understanding of what the fouling is and how it forms but mitigations must be deployable in the field within the scope of operations. I would like to invite representatives of different industries to describe their fouling problems, and representatives from industry, academia and chemical cleaning companies to discuss analytical methods, mitigation and prevention strategies. I would like to focus on cross-industry sharing of mitigation strategies.

Frontiers in Recycling: Bridging Academic Innovation and Industry Practice (MT) [Industry]

Organizers
Maedeh Ramezani, Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc
Jonathan D. Webb, Imperial Oil

Description:
The symposium will focus on the frontiers of recycling, highlighting emerging technologies and sustainable approaches across critical metals, polymers, electronics, and industrial byproducts. It will bring together academic researchers, students, and industry leaders to explore both scientific advances and the practical challenges of implementing recycling technologies at scale.

Disruptive Innovations at the Interface of Organic Chemistry and Technology (OR) [Industry]

Organizers
Corey Stephenson, University of British Columbia
LC Campeau, Merck
Alán Aspuru-Guzik, University of Toronto

Description:
This symposium will spotlight emerging disruptive technologies that are reshaping the landscape of organic chemistry. We invite contributions from researchers developing or applying innovative tools, methods, and platforms that dramatically expand the capabilities of molecular synthesis, mechanism elucidation, and discovery. Topics may include—but are not limited to—automated synthesis, high-throughput experimentation, machine learning in reaction design, photo- and electrochemical activation strategies, miniaturized or flow-based platforms, and also include new modes of reactivity. Particular emphasis will be placed on technologies that redefine how chemists conceptualize, perform, and scale organic reactions, with relevance to academic, industrial, and translational research. The symposium aims to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue and highlight the convergence of chemistry with data science, engineering, and materials innovation.

Invited Speakers
Jason Hein, University of British Columbia
Steve Newman, University of Ottawa
Corinna Schindler, University of British Columbia
Eric Fang, Snapdragon
Scott France, Merck
Matthew Sigman, University of Utah

Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry (OR/EDI) [Industry]

Organizers
Sophie Rousseaux, University of Toronto
Dilan Polat, Paraza Pharma

Description:
EWOC (Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry) is an organization that recognizes, identifies, and helps retain women in organic chemistry. This symposium will showcase the contributions of women, non-binary people, and their allies to the field of organic chemistry with the aim of building a supportive network and showcasing excellence. Submission of abstracts topics related to the incorporation of EDI initiatives into organic chemistry research and  learning opportunities is very much encouraged.

From the Lab to the Plant: Building Cultures of Safety (PSM) [Industry]

Organizers
Brenna Brown, Brenntag Canada Inc.
Adel Morhart, Brenntag Canada Inc.

Description:
Creating a culture of safety is critical to building a workplace where humans can thrive and innovation and flourish. We invite contributors from all chemistry and chemical engineering disciplines to share their stories about safety in chemistry. Topics can range from incident investigation and reporting, process controls, engagement activities, and people management.

Advances in Elastomer and Rubber Technology Including New Applications (RU) [Industry]

Organizers
Richard Pazur, Department of National Defense

Description:
This symposium will capture many important topics which are currently at the forefront in advancing rubber technology. Sample topics that can be considered are: Elastomers and Rubbers in New Applications, Elastomer or rubber modification, Advances in Rubber Mixing, Rubber compounding using novel ingredients, rubber characterization and techniques, rubber degradation and stability as well as advances in 3D printing.

Targeting rubber processing issues in the rubber industry (RU) [Industry]

Organizers
Richard Pazur, Department of National Defense

Description:
This symposium will allow rubber industry participants to share their processing problems to academics and experienced rubber professionals in order to help troubleshoot and resolve outstanding issues that are limiting production or the quality of the final parts. Processing issues can be varied and can extend from mixing, milling, calendaring, extruding to molding (compression, transfer or injection) final products. New advances in the use of software based on finite element analysis can also be considered.