Dr. Mark S. Wrighton, the James and Mary Wertsch Distinguished University Professor and chancellor emeritus of Washington University in St. Louis, will speak at Missouri S&T as part of the Kummer Keynote Speaker Series. The event will be held 3-4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, in Room G5 of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building. It is open to all students, faculty and staff.

Wrighton will share insights from his career in science, innovation and policy, including his leadership roles at Washington University, MIT and The George Washington University. His talk will highlight the role of research universities in advancing science and shaping public policy.

Students are encouraged to RSVP on MinerLink.

Dr. Mark S. Wrighton is the James and Mary Wertsch Distinguished University Professor and Chancellor Emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis, where he served as the university’s 14th chancellor from 1995 to 2019. While on sabbatical from Washington University, he served as president of The George Washington University from 2022 to 2023.

Before WashU, Wrighton was a member of the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1972 to 1995, becoming a full professor of chemistry in 1977. He later headed the Department of Chemistry and held the Frederick G. Keyes and Ciba-Geigy professorships. He also served as a presidential appointee to the National Science Board from 2000 to 2006, the body that advises the President and Congress on science policy and serves as the primary advisory board of the National Science Foundation.

In addition to his many accomplishments as a university administrator, Wrighton is the author of over 300 articles in professional and scholarly journals, is the holder of 16 patents, and co-author of a book, Organometallic Photochemistry. Wrighton has received many awards for his research and scholarly writing, including the distinguished MacArthur Prize, often called the “genius grant,” which recognizes exceptional creativity and potential.

He has research interests in the areas of transition metal catalysis, photochemistry, surface chemistry, molecular electronics and in photoprocesses at electrodes. Principal objectives of his research have been to elucidate the basic principles underlying the conversion of solar energy to chemical fuels and electricity, to discern new catalysts and ways of making them, to understand chemistry at interfaces, and to provide the knowledge base for development of new electro-chemical devices.
   
Wrighton has lectured widely on his research work and has given more than 40 named lectureships at distinguished colleges and universities in the United States and other countries. Wrighton received his B.S. degree with honors in chemistry from Florida State University and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology.

The Kummer Keynote Speaker Series brings accomplished leaders to campus to share lessons in technology, entrepreneurship and leadership. Each event includes time for Q&A and networking.