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Philadelphia Organic Chemists' ClubP.O.C.C.
Bringing Together Industrial and Academic Chemists Since 1945; Over 75 Years of Great Chemistry! -
Speakers
2025-2026 Seminar Series
NOTE: All talks are anticipated to be IN PERSON for the 2025-2026 cycle.
About P.O.C.C.
The Philadelphia Organic Chemists' Club (POCC) is one of the oldest independent chemistry clubs in the United States and it works in conjunction with area universities and pharmaceutical companies to allow distinguished scientists to speak to a broad chemistry audience from the Philadelphia area. The organization's central purpose is to facilitate the interaction between scientists, particularly between academic and the numerous chemical and pharmaceutical companies. The POCC lectures and events provide a monthly forum.
The POCC has been actively sponsoring seminars in Philadelphia since at least 1945 (check out the archives!). Typically, the POCC meets on the last Thursday of the month, often with the speaker being hosted during the day by one of the local chemical or pharmaceutical companies. The POCC event is held in the University of Pennsylvania Chemistry Department, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with a social hour, followed by the seminar at 7:30 p.m.
Seminar Schedule
2025-2026
Coming Soon!
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Sponsors
Thanks to all of our amazing sponsors for supporting our seminar series over the years!
Officers
Meet the POCC Leadership
Christopher B. Kelly
Chair & Webmaster, Principal Scientist @ Johnson and Johnson
A native New Yorker, Chris’s interest in synthesis was sparked during his undergraduate studies at Stonehill College. At Stonehill, Chris worked under Prof. Leon Tilley and completed a targeted synthesis of 1-(trifluoromethyl)bicyclo[1.1.0]butane. Chris moved to UCONN in 2010 to perform his doctoral work under Prof. Nicholas Leadbeater. At UCONN, he worked in the areas of organofluorine chemistry and sustainable oxidative processes. In 2015, he continued his training under Prof. Gary Molander at the University of Pennsylvania as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow. At Penn, Chris’s research utilized photoredox catalysis to enable C–C bond construction. After a short stint (2018-2019) in academia as an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, he joined JnJ's Discovery Process Research team to tackle problems relating to human health. However, because of his passion for teaching, Chris also serves as the lecturer for CHEM 746, a graduate-level organic chemistry course at Penn, since Fall 2020.
Contact Chris: Ckelly5@its.jnj.com
Christopher Beaudry
Chair-Elect, Professor @ Temple University
Coming Soon!
Contact Chris: Coming Soon!
Joseph M. Karpinski
Treasurer, Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator @ University of Delaware
Joseph Karpinski graduated from Ursinus College with a bachelor’s degree in Biology, and from Lehigh University with a master's degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. After a 23-year career as a synthetic organic chemist, he taught full-time for 10 years and now works as a Laboratory Coordinator at the University of Delaware. He lives in Kennett Square, PA, and has three adult children. He enjoys, golfing, reading, and winemaking.
Contact Joseph: jkarpins@eastern.edu
Jordan Artzy
Assistant Secretary, Graduate Student @ the University of Pennsylvania (Trauner Laboratory)
Jordan was born in Miami FL. He received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Florida State University in 2022, where he worked on natural product synthesis via pyridinium dearomatization in the Joel Smith lab. He is now a PhD student in the Trauner laboratory at UPenn and has a strong interest in total synthesis and medicinal chemistry.
Contact Jordan: jartzy@sas.upenn.edu
Jassie Kaur
Student Representative, Graduate Student @ Temple University (Beaudry Laboratory)
Jassie is from Delaware County, PA. She received her B.S. in chemistry with a minor in philosophy from Drexel University where she performed undergraduate research in the lab of Dr. Hai-feng Ji. She also worked at the University of Pennsylvania in the lab of Dr. Marisa Kozlowski through an NSF REU where she worked on the synthesis of PAH molecules. Jassie is currently an NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Wengryniuk lab at Temple University working on an umpolung SNAr process of electron-rich arenes using N-HVI reagents. In her free time she likes to read, go to concerts, and hang out with her two cats.
Contact Jassie: jasjit.kaur@temple.edu
Kyra L Samony
Social Media Director, Graduate Student @ Temple University(Kim Laboratory)
Kyra grew up local to Philadelphia in Gilbertsville, PA. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. During her time at Dickinson, she worked under both Dr. David Crouch, on the selective reduction of benzonitrilic compounds, and Dr. Jason Gavenonis, on the synthesis of fluorescent bifunctional probes for intracellular reaction monitoring. She also interned at MaxPower, Inc., a local R&D facility focusing on the development of special purpose lithium-ion batteries. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. with Dr. Daniel K. Kim at Temple University, where her thesis work is focused on novel reagent design directed towards the installation of trifluoromethyl ketones.
Contact Kyra: kyra.samony@temple.edu
Ali Bodnar
EWOC Liaison, Senior Scientist @ Johnson & Johnson
Coming Soon!
Contact Ali: Coming Soon!
Join Us for Great Chemistry and Refreshments
Seminars are held at 7:30 p.m. in the Carol Hoff Lynch Hall at the Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania. Prior to that, there is a social hour, starting at 6:30 PM with pizza and other refreshments. Those interested are encouraged to come early to have the chance to interact with faculty, industrial scientists amd the seminar speaker themselves in a relaxed,friendly reception hall.
Address: 231 S 34th St Philadelphia, PA 19104
Seminars are in the Carol Hoff Lynch Hall
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