Defining the Next Generation Challenges in Surface Chemistry and Surface Science

The 2017 GRC on Chemical Reactions at Surfaces will be held in Il Ciocco, Tuscany in Italy during February 5-10, 2017. The conference will convene an interdisciplinary group of world-recognized experts and young researchers from chemistry, physics, chemical engineering and materials science to address and discuss fundamental aspects of chemical reactions on surfaces, relevant to the grand challenges facing mankind. These topics include: environmental interfaces, solar energy conversion, chemical energy storage, catalysis and many others. Specific emphasis will be given to delineating the status quo and defining some of the current challenges in areas such as solid-liquid interfaces, new experimental and theoretical methods, electron and photon induced surface reactions, chirality and enantioselectivity, chemistry on nanoparticles, and surfaces of novel materials. This will be the second occasion on which the conference has been held in Europe, the first having been in Switzerland in 2013. The success of the conference in attracting an extremely diverse group of participants from across the globe was demonstrated at the most recent meeting in Ventura, CA in 2015 and we seek to draw a highly international group of speakers and participants to Il Ciocco. Funds supporting the conference will be used to assist participants, especially young scientists who otherwise would be unable to attend: junior faculty members, postdoctoral fellows and advanced graduate students. Participation by young researchers adds significant value to these conferences and will foster communications among current and future leaders in a field. Immediately prior to the GRC there will be a Gordon Research Seminar held at the same location for young scientists in order to give younger participants an opportunity to network with one another and to become acquainted with the style and content of the subsequent GRC.