On April 11, Professor Klavs F. Jensen, Warren K. Lewis Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), delivered a lecture titled “Accelerating chemical discovery and development with continuous flow, automation and AI” at East China Normal University (ECNU). The event, part of ECNU’s prestigious “Master Lecture Series”, unveiled a transformative vision for future chemical laboratories, blending cutting-edge technology with interdisciplinary innovation.
Professor Jensen’s research spans thermochemistry, electrochemistry, and photochemistry in batch and flow, kinetics and optimization, automation, and machine learning to develop new methods that accelerate materials discovery and development.
Hosted by ECNU’s School of Pharmacy and Office of Science and Technology, the lecture drew over 200 participants from diverse fields, including pharmacy, chemistry, materials science, and computer science.
ECNU President Qian Xuhong expressed his gratitude to Professor Jensen and urged young researchers to embrace the AI-driven era of drug development. “Modern scientific pioneers must follow Professor Jensen’s example by integrating chemical engineering with artificial intelligence, mastering core technologies for intelligent R&D, and leading sustainable, transformative solutions for the global pharmaceutical industry,” he emphasized.
The Master Lecture Series, a flagship academic platform at ECNU, invites world-renowned scholars and academicians to share frontier research and pioneering breakthroughs. In 2024 alone, the series hosted 49 lectures. This event marked the 13th installment of the 2025 series, underscoring ECNU’s commitment to fostering a dynamic academic ecosystem through global intellectual exchange.
Copy editor: Philip Nash
Editor: Xu Xincheng
