In this episode, Philip Bevilacqua from Pennsylvania State University talks about the world of RNA chemistry. Learn about the innovative research being conducted in RNA chemistry, the challenges scientists face, and the potential of RNA-based therapies. Available on all major podcast platforms.
RNA Chemistry: Deciphering the Building Blocks of Life
About the Speaker
Philip C. Bevilacqua is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The Pennsylvania State University, where he is also the head of the Department of Chemistry.
His research interests focus on understanding the roles of RNA folding and catalysis in biology. Bevilacqua earned his B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Physics from John Carroll University in 1987 and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Rochester in 1993. He completed his postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, under the guidance of Professor Thomas R. Cech. Bevilacqua has received several awards and honors throughout his career, including the Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, the C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal in Physical Sciences. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. Bevilacqua has published extensively, with a total of 196 publications and an H-index of 51 (Web of Science) and 60 (Google Scholar). He has given 160 invited talks at universities and meetings and co-organized several national meetings. Bevilacqua is a member of various professional societies, including the AAAS, the American Chemical Society, and the RNA Society, where he serves on the editorial board.
About Pittcon
Pittcon is the world’s largest annual premier conference and exposition on laboratory science. Pittcon attracts more than 16,000 attendees from industry, academia and government from over 90 countries worldwide.
Their mission is to sponsor and sustain educational and charitable activities for the advancement and benefit of scientific endeavor.
Pittcon’s target audience is not just “analytical chemists,” but all laboratory scientists — anyone who identifies, quantifies, analyzes or tests the chemical or biological properties of compounds or molecules, or who manages these laboratory scientists.
Having grown beyond its roots in analytical chemistry and spectroscopy, Pittcon has evolved into an event that now also serves a diverse constituency encompassing life sciences, pharmaceutical discovery and QA, food safety, environmental, bioterrorism and other emerging markets.
