2nd Commonwealth Chemistry Congress - Abstract book

Partnership for the Goals Commonwealth Chemistry Congress 2023 23 – 25 May | Trinidad and Tobago

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SPONSORSHIP PROSPECTUS

Welcome from the President of Commonwealth Chemistry

It is our honour and pleasure to welcome you to Trinidad and Tobago for 2nd the Commonwealth Chemistry Congress – the first in-person event since the founding of Commonwealth Chemistry. Commonwealth Chemistry started as a meeting in London in June 2018. Participants from 24 countries representing more than 20 chemistry societies, scientific academies and federations across the Commonwealth met in Burlington House, London hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The unique opportunities for collaboration offered by the Commonwealth were immediately evident, including the sharing of common values by bringing together developed and developing regions. The appeal of inclusive gatherings at which no one country or group of countries dominate the proceedings was central to discussions from the outset. Participants concluded that there are distinctive and significant opportunities to create an inclusive federation of Commonwealth chemistry societies, and to organise a series of conferences featuring policy debates, inspiring role models, and celebrating the contribution of chemistry to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This would be a federation distinct from other umbrella organisations by its diversity, its worldwide footprint, links to governments and commitment to chemistry education and research. At its heart the promotion of the interests of smaller countries, especially those that do not have their own chemistry societies, highlighting policy and influence for the chemical sciences, and nurturing the next generation of talent.

An image capturing the discussions and outputs of the June 2018 meeting

Born from the ambition, aspiration and inspiration of its founding members, Commonwealth Chemistry was launched on Commonwealth Day, in March 2020. We planned our first Congress, here in Trinidad and Tobago, in May 2020. While we were saddened to postpone, we now know that was a prudent decision, based on the advice of governments and public health authorities, in response to what would become a global pandemic. The delay in bringing together our Commonwealth colleagues only makes the experience of this gathering more welcome and important, so we are truly thankful to the University of West Indies for agreeing to host us now, fully three years later. While we could not meet in person in 2020, we were proud that our virtual poster event in September of that year was able to capture the enthusiasm and engagement of the early career chemists and participants who were scheduled to present their work in person. The success of that approach has grown into an annual event that continues to thrive – in 2022 we saw over 180 posters from 31 countries and awarded 25 prizes celebrating researchers from 17 Commonwealth nations . This modern, virtual solution to bring together the best of our Commonwealth community proves once more that chemistry is universal, with prizes being awarded to researchers in small island and developing states such as Fiji and Papua New Guinea, as well as countries with more resources, such as Canada and Australia. What further unites many of these talented early career researchers was the Commonwealth Chemistry event being their first opportunity to present and promote their work to an international audience. Now, as part of this Congress, we are excited to see research on display from over 30 countries, and to engage in powerful discussion sessions on topics relevant to our community, from all regions of the globe. In welcoming you all to this Commonwealth Chemistry Congress we reaffirm our mission and vision, to inspire, celebrate and elevate the role and practice of the chemical sciences for the benefit of Commonwealth nations and their people. We are truly one community, with one voice, catalysing equality for all.

Dr Vicki Gardiner President Commonwealth Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry at the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus welcomes you to the 2nd Commonwealth Chemistry Congress 2023. It is our pleasure to host our esteemed colleagues from around the Commonwealth of Nations in Trinidad and Tobago. As the UWI celebrates 75 years as a regional powerhouse of tertiary education, research, and innovation with global reach, we welcome you with our university’s celebratory theme - Rooted, Ready, Rising. This Congress begins a very exciting time in the chemical sciences community as we get together rooted in our shared experiences and ready explore new opportunities to work together as Commonwealth chemistry practitioners. As hosts, we appreciate diversity and inclusivity and Trinidad and Tobago has long been heralded as a melting pot of cultures and experiences. Our national anthem pledges that “every creed and race finds an equal place”. Fundamentally, the Congress recognises the beauty of diversity and acknowledges that excellent chemistry can be done anywhere and by anyone. It is in this spirit that we have undertaken to shape a Congress that integrates equality of opportunity to all delegates, with a focus on providing early career chemists with an outlet for their research and a space to discuss their career ambitions with globally recognised chemical scientists. We look forward to lively sharing of ideas and experiences in a convivial environment and to the new relationships that the congress will facilitate. For us, relationship building is very important to our success as chemical sciences practitioners. The Caribbean region is only now beginning to understand on the impact of chemistry and chemical innovation on socio-economic development and protecting the environmental. The reality of climate change has pushed our governments to accept the role of technology in mitigating its severe effects on small island developing states, which are all particularly vulnerable. Thus, the contribution of this Congress to raising awareness about the critical role of the chemical sciences in shaping a future worth living cannot be underestimated. Furthermore, we appreciate the value that each participant brings in portraying the chemical sciences as a noble profession which assists our sustained efforts to achieve critical growth in our own chemistry community by connecting Caribbean chemists to the broader world stage. The Congress will undoubtedly inspire our early career researchers and young students to explore the vastness of chemical science. We anticipate outcomes that will benefit all participants and their respective chemical sciences societies, institutions, academies, and universities. Together we elevate the role of the chemical sciences for the collective good our nations and the world. Welcome from the Local Organising Committee

Dr Michael Forde Chair, Local Organising Committee University of the West Indies

Welcome from the Scientific Organising Committee

This is a moment of pride and optimism, as we welcome you to Trinidad and Tobago for the second Commonwealth Chemistry Congress. Bringing together chemists from across the Commonwealth under the banner of equality for all, this congress will promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , strengthen scientific capacity, inspire and elevate the role of the chemical sciences to society and policy makers, and celebrate achievements in chemistry. Representatives from chemical societies across the Commonwealth will join high level stakeholders from academia, industry, and government in Trinidad. The Commonwealth is a uniquely diverse group of nations with shared values and a powerful voice. It represents all corners of the globe with a population of 2.5 billion and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. It is home to 12% of the world’s researchers and accounts for around 10% of global research and development expenditure. The unique opportunities for collaboration offered by the Commonwealth include the sharing of common values by bringing together developed and developing regions and creating inclusive gatherings at which no one country or group of countries dominate the proceedings. The decision to choose a Caribbean nation to host this first in-person event was taken consciously, emphasising the importance and contribution of chemical scientists in smaller, developing and island nations. Our Commonwealth Chemistry colleagues recognise the value in bringing chemistry societies together, focusing on areas of commonality and collaboration, to champion chemistry and highlight the major role that it plays in solving the global challenges all of our nations face. A key area identified in establishing this federation was to nurture the next generation of talent. With 1 in 3 people aged between 15 and 29 living in Commonwealth countries , the Commonwealth is set to play an ever more important role in the world’s future – a future that will present many challenges where science can identify solutions. All Commonwealth Chemistry activities are driven towards supporting early career researchers. This Congress was designed to give maximum opportunities to Commonwealth researchers in the early stages of their career, provide networking and development opportunities, acting as a springboard for their career development, enabling joint research and education activities, with opportunities to share research outputs. To ensure equal representation, inclusivity, and participation among all Commonwealth nations at this Congress, over 30 Commonwealth countries (either through a society member or associate member of Commonwealth Chemistry) have nominated representatives and early career chemists to attend. These specially selected delegates join our invited speakers and panellists for a programme designed to maximise conversation and networking opportunities, fostering meaningful new international alliances and building partnerships for the future. We are running out of time to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. To make real progress we need to work in partnership across borders, whether geographic or scientific. Research has shown that bringing together different people and perspectives leads to much more creative problem solving. That is why we chose the theme of “partnership for the goals” for this Congress.

Our three scientific themes are based on the Sustainable Development Goals, and our opening panel discussion will bring together influential members of our community to share how Commonwealth researchers can contribute to achieving these goals. Other panel discussions focus on gender equality, reducing inequality, and providing a quality, inspirational education to all. Alongside early career researchers, we are proud to welcome key stakeholders, influencers, and senior members of our Commonwealth community in these conversations. We want to foster a collaborative approach, through which we can all benefit from dialogue that builds broader impact and outputs to make a real difference across our Commonwealth of nations. We welcome you all to this long-awaited Commonwealth Chemistry Congress and are excited to get started.

Professor Vincent Nyamori Chair, Scientific Organising Committee University of KwaZulu-Natal

Professor Bice Martincigh Co-Chair, Scientific Organising Committee University of KwaZulu-Natal

Geographical distribution of registered Congress delegates

Programme 22nd - 23rd May

22nd May

23rd May

Registration - TLC Foyer

08:00 08:30 09:00 09:10 09:20 09:30 09:40 09:50 10:00 10:10 10:20 10:30 10:40 10:50 11:00 11:10 11:20 11:30 11:40 11:50 12:00 12:10 12:20 12:30 12:40 12:50 13:00 13:10 13:20 13:30 13:40 13:50 14:00 14:10 14:20 14:30 14:40 14:50 15:00 15:10 15:20 15:30 15:40 15:50 16:00 16:10 16:20 16:30 16:40 16:50 17:00 17:10 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:50 18:00 18:10 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:50 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

Opening Ceremony Lecture Theatre A 60 mins

Chemistry, The Commonwealth, and the SDGs Panel Discussion Lecture Theatre A - 60 mins

Tea and Coffee Break - 30 mins

Downsizing proteins and peptides Norelle Daley

Biocatalysis for a Sustainable Future through a Circular Economy Annamma A Odaneth

Climate Action in the Anthropocene Opha Pauline Dube

L unch TLC PG Lounge and LT B&C - 50 min

Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10) Panel Discussion Lecture Theatre A - 60 min

Tea and Coffee Break - 30 mins

Asel Sartbaeva Keynote, LT A1

Audrey Moores Keynote, LT A2

Gloria Ukalina Obuzor Keynote, LT D

Flash presentations LT A1 50 min

Flash presentations LT A2 50 min

Flash presentations LT D 50 min

Andrea Goldson-Barnaby Keynote, LT A1

Karen Wilson Keynote, LT A2

Timothy Biswick Keynote, LT D

Congress Registration, Hilton Trinidad

Poster session JFK Auditorium 120 mins

Welcome Dinner, Hilton Trinidad 180 mins

Cocktail and networking reception JFK Quadrangle 180 min

Programme 24th -25th May

Saving the harvest to feed and nourish a hungry world for healthy living Umezuruike Linus Opara

Quality and Effective Education (SDG 4) Panel Discussion Lecture Theatre A 90 min

How systems thinking affects biomass conversion research Philip Jessop

Biochar-based water treatment: a sustainable technology for clean water in developing countries Dinesh Mohan

Tea and Coffee Break - 30 mins

Ruchi Anand Keynote, LT A1

Michael Forde Keynote, LT A2

Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith Keynote, LT D

Closing discussion session and prize-giving ceremony Lecture Theatre A 90 min

Flash presentations LT A1 50 min

Flash presentations LT A2 50 min

Flash presentations LT D 50 min

Mohammed Shoeb Keynote, LT A1

Sally Gaw Keynote, LT A2

Cora Young Keynote, LT D

Lunch TLC PG Lounge and LT B&C 50 min

Poster session JFK Auditorium 90 mins

3rd Annual General Meeting of Commonwealth Chemistry Lecture Theatre A 180 mins

Return to Hotel then Move to Queen’s Park Savannah

Key Panel Discussions Zero Hunger (SDG 2),

Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3) Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Climate Action (SDG 13) Poster sessions Social programme

Gala Dinner and Cultural Show 180 mins

Panellists and Invited Speakers Chemistry, the Commonwealth and the SDGs Chaired by Professor Sir Richard Catlow and Professor Dr Ganapati Yadav Panellists: Dr J Catherine Ngila Professor Dr Sandeep Verma Dr Karen Salt Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10) Chaired by Datin Dr Zuriati Zakaria and Dr Genevieve Adukpo Panellists: Professor Akua Opokua Britwum Mr Kevin Coutinho Dr Cynthia Ibeto Dr Alejandra Palermo Quality and Effective Education (SDG 4) Chaired by Professor Bice Martincigh and Dr Lydia Rhyman Panellists: Professor Peter Mahaffy Professor Marietjie Potgieter Dr Glenn Hurst Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health & Well-being (SDG 3) Chaired by Professor Dr Md. Iqbal Rouf Mamun and Dr Ainka Brown Plenary: Professor Norelle Daly Professor Umezuruike Linus Opara Keynote: Professor Ruchi Anand

Dr Andrea Goldson-Barnaby Professor Mohammad Shoeb Dr Asel Sartbaeva

Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) Chaired by Professor Karen Wilson and Dr Obinna Ofoegbu Plenary: Professor Philip Jessop D r Annamma Anil Odaneth Keynote: Dr Michael Forde Professor S ally Gaw

Professor Audrey Moores Professor Karen Wilson

Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Climate Action (SDG 13) Chaired by Dr Sameera Gunatilake and Dr Cora Young Plenary: Professor Opha Pauline Dube Professor Dinesh Mohan Keynote: Dr Timothy Biswick Dr Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith Professor Dr Gloria Ukalina Obuzor Dr Cora Young

Chemistry, the Commonwealth and the SDGs

Bringing together high profile stakeholders and influencers to discuss how Commonwealth chemical scientists can contribute to the UN SDGs. Chaired by Professor Sir Richard Catlow and Professor Dr Ganapati Yadav

Panellists: Dr J Catherine Ngila Professor Dr Sandeep Verma Dr Karen Salt

Panellists Catherine Ngila

Professor Ngila is currently the Interim Executive Director of the African Foundation for Women and Youth in Education, Science, Technology and Innovation. She is the Vice President (Emerging Economies) of the International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development as the (IOCD). Prof Ngila is the immediate former Acting Executive Director of African Academy of Sciences; former Deputy Vice Chancellor of Riara University; former Deputy Director of the Institute of Oil and Gas, Kenya; former Head of Applied Chemistry department at University of Johannesburg; Has worked at University of KwaZulu Natal, University of Botswana and Kenyatta University. She is a Board Chair of Smart Science Africa; Global Community Initiative for Growth; St Angela’s Girls School Alumnae Association. Prof Ngila is a Fellow of TWAS, AAS; ASSAf; former Co-Chair for the 2021 Commonwealth Science Conference 22-26 Feb; Member of various Chemical Societies (ACS, RSC, SACI). She has won various Awards; 2021 L’Oréal-UNESCO For International Women in Science Awards for excellence in Water Research; 2017 African Union Kwame Nkrumah Regional Women Scientific Awards; 2016 South Africa Distinguished Women in Science Awards; various grants from South Africa NRF, WRC, and CSIR. Prof Ngila’s research work is in Analytical/ Environmental Chemistry and focuses on water quality/pollution monitoring; mathematical modelling and nanotechnology methods for water treatment; development of analytical methodologies for detecting chemical substances in water. Research Links: www.researchgate.net/profile/Jane_Ngila/ scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=NNc4NEYAAAAJ&hl=en www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-ngila-68a620114 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0121-4567

Dr Karen Salt Dr Karen Salt has over 27 years’ worth of experience engaging and co-creating solutions with communities, organisations, charities and governmental bodies. An expert on governance, systems and transformative change, she has led and managed interdisciplinary research centers, collaborative research teams and large research projects, including those focused on producing evidence-informed interventions and policies. She is currently the Deputy Director of R&I System Diversity and Security within UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the UK’s largest public funder of research and innovation. She has the challenging but rewarding task of driving UKRI’s cross-organisational strategic thinking and policy making on system diversity and Trusted Research and Innovation. A sought after thought-leader and speaker, Salt works closely with leaders across Government, academia, civil society and industry and contributes to numerous international initiatives focused on embedding inclusive policy making. Sandeep is an elected Fellow of Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Sciences, India; Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering; and Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). He is an Associate Editor of Chemical Communications (Royal Society of Chemistry, UK) and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of ChemBioChem (Wiley). He is also Director of his new start-up, Stablin Biosciences, focused on production and formulation strategies of thermostable therapeutic proteins. Professor Sandeep Verma Professor Sandeep Verma is a Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, affiliated with the Department of Chemistry, Center for Nanoscience, Mehta Center for Engineering in Medicine, and Center for Environmental Science and Engineering. He is currently the Professor In-Charge (Head) of the Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, IIT Kanpur. Sandeep’s research interests include chemical neuroscience, small molecule-stem cell modulation, and new antibiotics. With more than 220 publications and several patents till date, his work has been recognized by the Distinguished Alumnus Award of Banaras Hindu University, Society for Materials Chemistry Gold Medal, J C Bose Fellowship, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, and Department of Atomic Energy Outstanding Investigator Award, to name a few.

Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10)

During this session, four speakers will tell the story of equality and diversity in chemistry by: • identifying and understanding the issues and barriers to equality and diversity, • looking at case studies and real examples to provide broader historical context, • sharing lived experiences of women and other under- represented groups in chemistry and STEM, and • examining international data and recent improvements for inclusion on the international stage. Chaired by Datin Dr Zuriati Zakaria and Dr Genevieve Adukpo

Panellists: Professor Akua Opokua Britwum Mr Kevin Coutinho Dr Cynthia Ibeto Alejandra Palermo

Panellists Professor Akua Opokua Britwum

Akua Opokua Britwum is an Associate Professor at the Department of Labour and Human Resource Studies, University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She holds a Doctorate from Maastricht University, The Netherlands, her first and second degrees were obtained from the University of Ghana, Legon in addition she has a postgraduate certificate in Education from the University of Cape Coast. She previously served as the Director of the Centre for Gender Research, Advocacy and Documentation at the University of Cape Coast. She has been associated with the universities of Kassel in Germany where held the Ela Bhatt-Guest Professor Chair with the Faculty of Social Sciences, and Johannesburg, South Africa as Senior Research Associate. She was also the Convenor, Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana. Other positions she has held include an associate fellow of Global Labour University. Prof. Britwum serves as reviewer for several journals and is currently on Editorial Boards of the Global Labour Journal and Oguaa Journal of Social Sciences and an advisory board member of International Review of Social History. Her teaching, research and publication cover gender and labour studies, development philosophy and theory, union democracy, as well as women in the informal economy. Her most recent publication is: Britwum, A. O. (2022). Post-independence development planning in Ghana and Tanzania: Agriculture, women and Nation-building. Africa Development, XLVII (1), 105-134. Kevin Coutinho Kevin is an equalities practitioner within higher education, having worked at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Pro-Director EDI), University College London (Athena SWAN and Gender Equality Policy Manager), University of Oxford (Head of EDI), Birkbeck (HR Strategy Partner) and the University of Cambridge (E&D Consultant). He is also the Vice-Chair of the Higher Education Race Action Group (HERAG), a sector wide body that promotes race equality, and chairs Athena SWAN and Race Equality Charter panels for Advance HE. Kevin is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry Diversity and Inclusion Committee and formerly co-chaired the League of European Research Universities Gender Working Group. He is the Chair of the Board of Trustees for Windsor Fellowship (www.windsor-fellowship.org), a race equality and diversity charity that promotes education, citizenship and employability and a member of council for the British Science Association and the Linnean Society of London.

Cynthia Nkolika Ibeto Cynthia Ibeto is an Associate Professor at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). In 2010, she obtained her PhD (Analytical Chemistry) from UNN. She was an Academic Research Fellow of the National Centre for Energy Research and Development, UNN (2008-2016) and worked extensively on optimization of production processes of biofuels. She is an Environmental/Analytical Chemist working on adding value to waste materials via bioremediation. She is a member of UK Research and Innovation Peer Review College and Outer International Assessment Board of Irish Research Council, and received scholarships/awards notably; National Young Scientists’ Prize for Women in Chemical Sciences (2021), Royal Society of Chemistry Research Mobility Grant (2020), Schlumberger Faculty for the Future Fellowship (2016/2017) and Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund, Developing World Scholarship (2014). She is the Periodic Table of Younger Chemists Awardee representing argon for celebration of IUPAC100 and International Year of the Periodic Table (2019). She was featured as an accomplished Chemist in programmes by Middlesex University & McGraw Hill (2021) and Chemistry Europe (2021 & 2022). She is an affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences and has received a gold award of excellence (2019) and fellowship award (2020) for significant contributions to Chemical Society of Nigeria and the Chemistry profession. She is the Coordinator, Women in Chemistry (Nigeria) and Vice-Chairman, Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World UNN. She served as Executive Council member of other professional bodies and Chair of various scientific committees. She has supervised several postgraduate students and co-authored over seventy publications.

Alejandra Palermo Ale is a chemical engineer with a PhD in materials science. Her independent career began as an Assistant Professor in Argentina, before joining Cambridge University under a Royal Society Visiting Fellowship. She has published over 50 scientific papers in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. Her previous roles at the RSC have included managing international work in India and Latin America and the setting up and leading the Pan Africa Chemistry Network. She led the Future of the Chemical Sciences initiative based on scenario planning to guide the development of the RSC long- term strategy. Ale’s RSC I&D work has resulted in several influential data led, strategic policy reports aimed at driving change towards an inclusive chemistry culture - Diversity Landscape in the Chemical Sciences (2018) , Breaking the Barriers (2018), LGBT+ climate for the physical sciences (2019), Is publishing in the chemical sciences gender biased? (2019) , A framework for action in scientific publishing (2020) , Minimum standards for inclusion and diversity for scholarly publishing (2021) , Missing Elements: Racial and ethnic inequalities in the chemical sciences (2022), Many of the reports have had a global reach and her work has been recognized by two awards for the RSC from the Public Relations and Communications Associations in 2019 and 2020. As part of RSC’s commitment to improve I&D, Ale worked to launch the RSC Bullying and Harassment support line and grant schemes which focus on career development for individual chemists with caring responsibilities, and for disabled chemists. Additionally, she launched the LGBT+Toolkit and works with partners to support c hemistry students and graduates from minoritised racial and ethnic backgrounds to pursue careers in chemistry - Broadening Horizons, and a national mentoring programme for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students in year 12 - Windsor Fellowship Her most recent work focuses on Socio Economic Inclusion and the launch of a grant scheme to fund research looking at attrition and retention of LGBT+ people within STEM in the UK and the USA in conjunction with BEIS, as well as work to promote inclusive communication. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a life fellow of the Chemical Research Society of India, a member of IUPAC and an honorary Fellow of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia.

Quality and Effective Education (SDG 4)

This session will examine how chemistry education has changed over the last four years and identify future directions for education in the chemical sciences. Chaired by Professor Bice Martincigh and Dr Lydia Rhyman

Panellists: Professor Peter Mahaffy Professor Marietjie Potgieter Dr Glenn Hurst

Panellists Glenn Hurst

Glenn Hurst completed an integrated MChem from Durham University and PhD from Newcastle University in the UK. He was appointed Associate Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of York in 2014, was promoted to Assistant Professor in 2017 and to Associate Professor in 2020 where he works in the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence. His research interests lie within chemistry education, specializing in adopting systems-thinking approaches within all levels of green and sustainable chemistry education. He was recognized by Jisc as one of the top ten social media superstars in higher education in 2017, was a finalist in the Times Higher Education ‘Most Innovative Teacher of the Year’ in 2018, highly commended for ‘Teaching Excellence’ in the Educate North Awards 2019, won the American Chemical Society Committee on Environmental Improvement Award for Incorporation of Sustainability into Chemistry Education in 2019, won the Royal Society of Chemistry Higher Education Teaching Award 2020, a JoVE Innovation in Instruction Award in 2021 and gained a National Teaching Fellowship in 2021. Peter Mahaffy Peter Mahaffy is a 3M National Teaching Fellow, Professor of Chemistry at the King’s University in Edmonton, Canada, and director of the King’s Centre for Visualization in Science (www.kcvs.ca), which provides digital learning resources used by a half-million students, educators, and the public from over 100 countries each year. His current research and professional work is at the interfaces of chemistry education, systems thinking and sustainability, the uses of interactive technological tools to facilitate the learning of science, and the responsible uses of chemistry. Mahaffy served for six years as chair of the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry’s (IUPAC) Committee on Chemistry Education (CCE) and member of the IUPAC Bureau, where he co-facilitated the process to obtain UN designation of 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry and served on the IYC-2011 Management Committee. He was a charter member of the International Council of Science (ICSU) Committee on Freedom and Responsibility in the Conduct of Science and served on the temporary working group on education and outreach for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. He served on the American Chemical Society (ACS) presidential working group to help professional chemists communicate climate science to the public and is past co-chair of Alberta’s Quality Assurance Agency for universities (Campus Alberta Quality Council).

Prof Marietjie Potgieter Marietjie Potgieter is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria (UP), where she was permanently employed between May 2002 and June 2021. Her formal education is in bio-organic chemistry (PhD from University of Illinois, USA), but she changed her research specialisation to tertiary chemistry education when she joined UP. Her research focusses on effective instruction and student success in tertiary science. Recent research projects include an investigation of student preferences and engagement patterns in blended learning organic chemistry courses and the introduction of systems thinking in undergraduate chemistry. She has published extensively on student preparedness for first-year chemistry, prediction of students at risk of failing first-year chemistry, academic development programmes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and effectiveness of innovative teaching approaches for first-year science courses. She is a recipient of several national and international awards for teaching and research excellence. She served as Deputy Dean: Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (2013 – 2020) and as Acting Head of the chemistry department in 2021. She represents South Africa on the IUPAC Committee on Chemistry Education (2016 to date) and is the current chair of this committee (January 2022 to date). She is also the IUPAC observer on the Advisory Board for Education and Outreach of the Organisation for Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health & Well-being (SDG 3)

Chaired by Professor Dr Md. Iqbal Rouf Mamun and Dr Ainka Brown

Plenary: Professor Norelle Daly Professor Umezuruike Linus Opara

Keynote: Professor Ruchi Anand

Dr Andrea Goldson-Barnaby Professor Mohammad Shoeb Dr Asel Sartbaeva

Plenary Speakers Norelle Daly

Norelle Daly, PhD, FQA, is a Professor of Structural Biology at the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine at James Cook University. She was awarded her PhD from The University of Queensland. Her studies involved using NMR spectroscopy to determine the structure of domains of the LDL receptor; a receptor critical for the control of cholesterol levels. Following these studies, she was involved in establishing a new field of research involving plant derived cyclic peptides. This work resulted in several granted patents and the establishment of a small biotechnology company associated with The University of Queensland. Norelle relocated to James Cook University in 2012 and has established structural biology and peptide chemistry facilities. She has published more than 200 journal articles, 3 book chapters, held NHMRC Industry, Queensland Smart State and ARC Future Fellowships, and was a co- founder of a JCU spin out company. Professor Umezuruike Linus Opara Professor Umezuruike Linus Opara is a Distinguished Professor at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, where he is also the South African Research Chair in Postharvest Technology, and the founding Director of the Africa Institute for Postharvest Technology. He graduated with degrees in Agricultural Engineering (First Class Honours) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and PhD from Massey University, New Zealand. He has published over 320 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and conference papers, and graduated over 70 MSc and PhD students in universities in South Africa, Sultanate of Oman, and New Zealand. He was recognised in 2019 and 2021, respectively, as a “Highly Cited Researcher” by the Web of Science Group, which distinguishes the “world’s most influential researchers of the past decade”. With current H-Index of 54 (Scopus) and 61 (Google Scholar), Prof. Opara is also the leading global individual researcher on pomegranates. Among his many international, continental, and national awards for his sustained research productivity and impact, has was honoured as Laureate of the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Award for Life and Earth Sciences – Africa’s highest research award for senior researchers, Winner of the Impact Research and Science in Africa Award for “excellence in research & building Africa’s human resources capacity”, Distinguished Researcher Award by Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman. In 2019, Stellenbosch University bestowed its higher honour on Prof. Opara – the Chancellor’s Award, for his “sustained excellence in research”. He was the founding President of the Pan African Society for Agricultural Engineering, founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation, past Executive Secretary of the International Academy of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and past President of the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. His ongoing activities focus on building Africa’s research capacity in engineering and biosciences for agri-food systems transformation and wealth creation.

Plenary, Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3)

Downsizing proteins and peptides

Norelle Daly Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, AITHM, James Cook University, Cairns.

Identification of small bioactive regions in proteins and peptides can be useful in drug design studies. One of the unique approaches to producing bioactive peptides is a process referred to as protein “downsizing”, where small, bioactive regions of proteins are produced in isolation. The approach generally involves detailed structural analysis of proteins and peptides to identify discrete elements of secondary structure which can be used in the design of small bioactive peptides. The designed peptides are likely to have lower immunogenicity and improved production yields relative to the parent proteins/ peptides. We have used this approach to design novel wound healing agents based on the granulin scaffold, and to develop anti-inflammatory peptides. These peptides have potential in the treatment of several diseases including diabetes, asthma and inflammatory bowel disease.

Plenary, Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3)

Saving the harvest to feed and nourish a hungry world for healthy living – the role of postharvest science and technology in a sustainable future

Professor Umezuruike Linus Opara Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Many observers would argue that the world is at major cross-roads in efforts to find sustainable solutions to the existential challenges facing it. From climate change and rising temperatures to rising human population, loss of biodiversity, conflicts, and the challenge of food and nutrition insecurity, scientists, policy makers and development practitioners are challenged to find solutions to assure a sustainable future. In 2014, the African Union adopted Agenda 2063 – the Africa We Want, as the blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future. Agenda 2063, which embodies 7 Aspirations, is considered the strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development and a concrete manifestation of the pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress, and collective prosperity pursued under Pan- Africanism and African Renaissance. Goal #1 (A high standard of living, quality of life and well-being for all, including ending hunger), #3 (Healthy and well-nourished citizens), and #5 (Modern agriculture for increased proactivity and production) of Aspiration 1 (A prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development) are particularly relevant to the first theme of this Conference. In September 2015, a UN Sumit adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address many of the great challenges facing our planet. Goal #2 aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture, while Goal # 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. These Goals of both Agenda 2063 and SDGs are well aligned. Ending hunger requires the attainment of food and nutrition security at individual, family, national and global levels. The link between food security, good health, and overall human well-being has been established, and agriculture plays a critical role, which has led to the call for nutrition-sensitive agriculture. High incidence of postharvest losses and food waste has been reported globally, with losses higher in developing countries and waste higher in developed countries. The negative impacts of postharvest losses and food waste in exacerbating food and nutrition insecurity, natural resources over-exploitation, and environmental degradation, are now increasingly realised and documented through scientific inquiry. While efforts in the past century to address the challenge of food and nutrition insecurity focused largely on increasing production through the expansion of cultivated areas and promotion of intensive cultivation, we argue that the combination of saving the harvest and promoting sustainable consumption offers a new set of tools to feed and nourish both a hungry world and fragile planet. In this lecture, we also highlight the research and innovation at the South African Research Chair in Postharvest Technology, which focuses on reducing postharvest losses and food waste, adding value to agri-food value chains, and linking production to markets. A case study of an integrated approach to pomegranate research and value-addition is presented, underpinned by a multi-disciplinary approach to building South Africa’s and Africa’s human, infrastructural and institutional capacity for research and innovation to deliver the future of the Africa We Want in a sustainable world.

Keynote Speakers Andrea Goldson-Barnaby

Dr. Andrea Goldson-Barnaby from an early age always knew that she wanted to become a Food Technologist. She is a graduate of The University of the West Indies, Jamaica where she pursued a BSc, doing a double major in Chemistry and Food Chemistry followed by a M Phil in Applied Organic Chemistry. While at The University of the West Indies she also worked as a synthetic chemist at Tanaud International BV. A Commonwealth Scholar, she pursued doctoral studies in Food Science at the University of British Columbia, Canada where she was the recipient of several awards. Currently she is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at The University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica where she serves as the Head of the Food Chemistry Division and Coordinator for the M Sc in Food and Agro Processing Technology Programme. She has published 29 peer reviewed articles, 1 book chapter and was the recipient of the Principal’s Award for Most Outstanding Researcher/Research Activity, for the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 academic years as well as best research publication in 2019. Dr Goldson-Barnaby is involved in capacity building of the local Food Industry and has been conducting Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, Human Food Workshops since 2017, training over 150 Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals. She is the Faculty Advisor for the American Chemical Society Jamaica International Student Chapter and is involved in various outreach initiatives. The chapter has been conducting science outreach Chemistry Festivals since 2019. conducting postdoctoral research at Sloan Kettering and the University of Pennsylvania she joined IIT-Bombay in 2008 as an Assistant Professor. Her laboratory employs a combination of X-ray Crystallography, Cryo-EM, biochemical and biophysical tools to understand molecular mechanisms with implications to human health. Her current research interests follow a multipronged approach where she has contributed to two major areas, antimicrobial resistance and biosensors development. Towards the first goal of combating drug resistance, she focuses both on unearthing enzyme systems that can serve as new therapeutic targets as well as is involved in understanding the origins of antibiotic resistance itself. Her recent work with bacterial transcription factors has paved the way to structure-guided development of biosensors for aromatic pollutants. Since 2016, she has been serving on the Editorial Advisory board for ACS Sensors and RSC Chem Soc Reviews. She was the recipient of the National Academy of Sciences Fellowship (FNASc) in 2019 and also won the National Women Bio-scientist Award, Department of Biotechnology, in 2018 and was awarded the CRSI bronze medal for 2020. She is also the recipient of the DBT-Wellcome Trust Alliance Senior Fellowship in 2020. She was admitted as a fellow to the Indian Academy of Science (IASc) in 2022. Ruchi Anand Ruchi Anand completed her PhD in 2004 from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University, USA. After

Mohammad Shoeb Dr. Mohammad Shoeb is working as Professor and is leading the research group consisting of 35 members with staffs, Post Doc, Postgraduate students (PhD, MPhil, MS) and technical staffs on “Analytical, Environmental and Natural Product Chemistry” within the Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He received several research grants from International Science Programme (ISP), Uppsala University, Sweden; International Foundation for Science (IFS), Stockholm, Sweden; OPCW, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Bangladesh; University Grant Commission, Bangladesh and Bose Centre, University of Dhaka. He supervised 7 PhD, 4 M.Phil. and quite a large number of MS and BS (project) students in the field of natural products, analytical and environmental Chemistry and currently 6 PhD, 2 M.Phil. and MS and BS project students are working under his supervision. He is working as a member of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee (DEIC) of IUPAC Global Women’s Breakfast. Professor Shoeb did BSc (Hons) and MSc from Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. After getting M.Sc in Organic Chemistry from Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, UK, he persuaded Ph.D in Chemistry from The School of Pharmacy, The Robert Gordon University in collaboration with University of Aberdeen, UK. He also carried out Post-Doc on Marine Bio-diversity from University of Aberdeen, and Analytical and Environmental Chemistry from Linkoping University, Sweden. He has more than 117 research publications in peer reviewed journals with current citation: 2419, h-index: 26, i10-index: 44 and has attended 90 National and International conferences with more than 150 abstracts, and delivered Keynote and invited lectures.

Asel Sartbaeva Asel is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Chemistry at the University of Bath, a co-founder and CEO of EnsiliTech, a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF’s “Girls in Science” program, and an Enterprise Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. She received an MSc degree at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University in 1999, and an MPhil and PhD degrees at the University of Cambridge in 2002 and 2008. She worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Physics at Arizona State University from 2005 till 2007. In 2007, she was awarded a Samuel and Violet Glasstone Fellowship, and moved to the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford. Asel was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in 2010, which she took up in January 2011. She held this fellowship until 2019. In 2012, she moved to the University of Bath to start her own research group. Asel graduated 14 postgraduate students, and for 6 of those students she was a primary supervisor. Asel has offered one-year research projects to more than 40 MChem and MSc students as part of their undergraduate degree. She now had an active group with 2 PhD, a PostDoc and Masters Students working on projects related to design of novel porous materials and the thermal stability of biopharmaceuticals. Asel has published more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, has given more than 30 keynote and invited talks in International meetings, and filed three patents. Asel is a co-inventor of the ensilication method, developed to make vaccines and other biologicals room-temperature stable for easier transport and storage across the globe. In 2021, Asel registered EnsiliTech as a limited company and next year, with three other co-founders, spun- out from the University of Bath. Asel was nominated to be one of the 175 Faces of Chemistry by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and a Women of Achievement by UN Beijing Platform for Action by UNIFEM in 2014. In 2016, Innovate UK awarded Asel’s group with a “Biggest Game-Changing Technology” award for work on vaccine stability without refrigeration. In 2017, she won IChemE award in the Biotechnology category and a WISE World award. In 2019, Asel won Hanson Medal from IChemE for her article in the Chemical Engineer journal. In 2020, Asel won Emerging Technologies Competition from the RSC. In 2021, Asel became a Woman of the Year by FDM Everywoman in Tech and received a distinction from the Government of Kyrgyzstan for achievements in Science, Research and Education. In 2022, she was awarded the Precedent award by the Civil Initiatives Group in Kyrgyzstan.

Keynote, Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3)

Ribosomal Methylation as a marker of antibiotic resistance

Ruchi Anand Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India 400076

Antibiotic resistance has become a silent epidemic that will result in more than 300 million deaths by 2050, if no appropriate action is taken. Repurposing of existing antibiotics and devising strategies to curb resistance is an uphill task and has become increasingly difficult. Towards addressing this grave problem here, we combat the problem of origin of resistance itself and focus on understanding the mechanisms by which pathogens become resistant to existing drugs. One of the prevalent mechanism by which resistance is conferred is by post translationally modifying the protein synthesis machinery, the ribosome. Several antibiotics such as erythromycin bind to the ribosome and kill the pathogens by selectively stalling their protein synthesis. Ribosomal modifying enzymes such as methyltransferases (Mtases) do not allow certain antibiotics to bind the ribosome by methylating select ribosomal bases thereby, cause a steric clash at the antibiotic binding site, thus result in evading their action leading to antibiotic resistance. Here, we decipher the mechanism of action and selective targeting of these resistant conferring Mtases. We have used two enzymes KsgA and Erm both enzymes methylating adenine bases at the N6 position of select bases on 50S and 30S respectively [1] . A combination of Cryo- EM, biochemical, fluorescence and MD approaches on both the Mtases as well as chimeric version of the enzymes revealed that apart from base flipping at the target site, that is crucial for methylation, base flipping at a distal allosteric site, within the Mtase [1,2] . is key in selective recognition of the target RNA. These studies serve as stepping-stone towards development of exclusive inhibitors that can aid in resisting resistance. Reference: 1. Bhujbalrao, R., Anand, R., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141 (4), 1425-1429. 2. Singh J, Raina R, Kutti, V R, Anand R., ACS Chem.Biol. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.1c00732

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