542nd Brookhaven Lecture: Chemistry, Computation, Catalysts
July 10, 2026
Chemistry is the study of how atoms bond, molecules form, and materials behave. Quantum chemistry goes deeper, helping scientists understand why chemical reactions occur based on the physics of electrons and the laws of quantum mechanics that govern matter and energy at atomic and subatomic scales.
Inspired by plants' ability to produce chemical energy from water, carbon dioxide, and light, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory are using advanced computing and quantum chemistry to design materials for artificial photosynthesis — synthetic systems that could operate more efficiently than natural photosynthesis.
All are invited to join Mehmed Zahid Ertem of the Chemistry Division when he presents the 542nd Brookhaven Lecture on Wednesday, July 15, at 4 p.m. EDT. His talk is titled "Moving Atoms and Electrons: A Computational Journey Toward Realizing Artificial Photosynthesis."
Attendees can join:
- In the Hamilton Seminar Room in Chemistry (Bldg. 555)
- On Zoom
Ertem will open his talk with an introduction to photosynthesis and catalysts — compounds that increase the rate of chemical reactions. He will describe how he uses computational methods to determine how catalysts direct the movement of atoms and electrons, transforming reactants into new products. He will then provide examples of insights and calculations that enabled the design of next-generation catalysts.
About the speaker
Ertem is a chemist in Brookhaven Lab's Artificial Photosynthesis group in the Chemistry Division. He joined Brookhaven as a postdoctoral researcher in 2014, became an assistant chemist in 2016, an associate chemist in 2018, and took on his current role in 2021.
Before arriving at Brookhaven, Ertem was a postdoc at Yale University. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Minnesota in 2012. He earned master's and bachelor's degrees at Bogaziçi University in Turkey in 2007 and 2005, respectively.
About the Brookhaven Lecture Series
The Brookhaven Lecture Series began in 1960.
In the foreword to the first lectures, Brookhaven physicist Gertrude Scharff-Goldhaber wrote, "The Brookhaven Lectures, held by and for the Brookhaven staff, are meant to provide an intellectual meeting ground for all scientists of the Laboratory. In this role, they serve a double purpose: They are to acquaint the listeners with new developments and ideas not only in their own field but also in other important fields of science, and to give them a heightened awareness of the aims and potentialities of Brookhaven National Laboratory."
That tradition continues today.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov.
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2026-23029 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
