Medicinal Chemistry Graduate Program Hosts Professional Development Retreat
August 3, 2026
Our biennial Professional Development Retreat for the Medicinal Chemistry Graduate Program was a huge success in 2026! This year, the retreat reached new heights thanks to a refreshed, multi-day schedule focused on helping our students develop as professionals, think critically about their career trajectory, and build their professional network.
We were thrilled to partner with our friends at the American Chemical Society (ACS) as part of the retreat programming. Representatives from the organization presented five sessions focused on topics like career exploration and skill-building for job searches. This all culminated with the opportunity for our more senior students to participate in mock interviews, with folks from ACS acting as their interviewers. We are grateful for our ACS partners; the students learned a lot from their expertise.
The program was fortunate to invite two fantastic speakers from the field of Medicinal Chemistry to speak as our invited guests. Dr. Martin Schnermann from the National Institutes of Health spoke to students during the retreat itself, and he also gave a companion seminar to the Chemical Biology Initiative while he was on campus. In addition, we were so excited to welcome back program alumna Dr. Kimberly Maize from Treeline Biosciences as our second speaker. Thanks to both fantastic scientists for the time they spent in community with our students.
Lastly, the multi-day retreat culminated with a trip to CHS Field in St. Paul to watch our hometown baseball team the St. Paul Saints play (and win) against the Columbus Clippers. Social events like these help to cement both lessons learned and new relationships fostered at the retreat. We were treated to special appearances by both R. Kip Guy, Dean of the College of Pharmacy, and Mudonna, the loveable mascot for the Saints.
Thanks to outgoing Director of Graduate Studies Dr. Daniel Harki, Administrative Manager and Graduate Program Coordinator Arturo Hernández, and PhD students Kostana Ligori and Ryan Friess for their time spent organizing the event.
Amazing work all around!
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