Topics Webinar | Recent Advances in Chemical Artificial Intelligence by Exploring Molecular Systems
the chairs
Topics Webinar: Recent Advances in Chemical Artificial Intelligence by Exploring Molecular Systems
Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are becoming more prevalent in our societies. They assist, and sometimes even replace, humans in accomplishing specific tasks and dealing with complex systems. Traditionally, AI and robotics are developed in software and hardware, the latter being either rigid or soft. In the early 2010s, the following promising strategy was put forward: using molecular, supramolecular, and systems chemistry in wetware (i.e., in fluid solutions) to mimic some aspects of human (and, more generally, biological) intelligence and develop the so-called chemical artificial intelligence (CAI) and chemical robotics. In CAI, information is encoded, collected, stored, processed, and sent primarily through molecules and chemical reactions. CAI and chemical robots will allow humans to colonize the nanoscopic world. Artificial intelligent chemical systems will help diagnose and cure diseases, safeguard the environment, and contribute to increased energy and food supplies. Finally, designing and implementing various forms of autonomous chemical intelligence will allow for a deeper comprehension of two remarkable emergent properties: intelligence and life.
Date: 24 September , 2025
Time: 3:00 pm CEST 9:00 am EDT
Webinar ID: 815 2885 8652
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet the Event Chairs
Meet Our Speakers
Prof. Konrad Szacilowsky
AGH University of Krakow, Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology;
Konrad Szaciłowski graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland) in 1995 (M.Sc.) and 2000 (Ph.D.). After habilitation (2008), he moved from Jagiellonian University to the AGH University of Krakow. Now he is the head of Chair of Photophysics and Electrochemistry at the Academic Center of Materials and Nanotechnology. His initial interest in photochemistry and spectroscopy of coordination compounds has gradually evolved towards molecular and nanoscale logic devices and finally towards unconventional computing. At the moment, his main research interests encompass the design of inorganic materials for memristive applications, mimicking of neutral and synaptic processes in inanimate systems, reservoir computing, and relations of musical harmony with other fields of science. He is an author of the book Infochemistry: Information processing at nanoscale (Wiley 2012) and numerous papers in fields such as coordination chemistry, material science, spectroscopy, catalysis, and electrochemistry. In his free time, he enjoys classical music, philately, and single malts from Islay and Speyside.
Dr. Panagiotis Mougkogiannis
Unconventional Computing Laboratory, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom;
I was born in Patras, Greece, and studied chemistry at the University of Patras, where I received my BSc and MSc degrees. I then completed my PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester. My research is in organic electronics and conducting polymers, and I have developed solution techniques to optimize organic field effect transistors, thin films, chemical sensors, and other devices. I have also gained experience in x-ray absorption spectroscopy by studying the effect of calcium carbonate lubricant additives on the crystallization of hydroxyapatite and the preparation of titania nanotubes for water splitting applications. I am now working in the Unconventional Computing Laboratory at UWE Bristol under the supervision of Prof. A. Adamatzky, where I research the electrical properties of proteinoid microspheres and develop analog and neuromorphic circuits and proteinoid anesthesia.
Prof. Dr. Andrew Adamatzky
Unconventional Computing Laboratory, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom;
Andrew Adamatzky is a professor in unconventional computing in the Department of Computer Science and the director of the Unconventional Computing Laboratory, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. He conducts research in reaction-diffusion computing, cellular automata, physarum computing, massive parallel computation, applied mathematics, collective intelligence and robotics, bionics, computational psychology, non-linear science, novel hardware, and future and emergent computation.
Prof. Annette Taylor
University of Southampton, UK;
Taylor joined the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Southampton as Professor of Reaction Engineering in 2024. Her research involves the design and optimisation of chemical and biochemical processes. She is particularly interested in catalytic reaction networks in aqueous phase or soft matter systems, as well as the control of dynamics in cellular biological or bioinspired systems. Taking inspiration from nature or the use of natural components allows us to not only design functional materials and processes that are greener or more sustainable but also harness the unique properties arising from feedback in natural systems including collective behaviour (e.g. quorum sensing in bacteria) and self-organisation.
Prof. Sijbren Otto
Center for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, the Netherlands;
Sijbren Otto received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees cum laude from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Following postdoctoral positions with Prof. Regen at Lehigh University (USA) and Prof. Sanders at the University of Cambridge (UK), he started his independent research career in Cambridge in 2001. He moved to the University of Groningen in 2009 where he is currently a full professor. Sijbren Otto received the ERC Starting, Advanced and Synergy grants and chaired two COST Actions on systems chemistry. He currently coordinates a Marie Curie Doctoral Training Network on the topic of Darwinian chemistry (DarChemDN).
Prof. Matthew Lakin
Department of Computer Science, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA;
Matthew Lakin obtained his B.A. and Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Cambridge, then spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher at Microsoft Research. Dr. Lakin is currently an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of New Mexico, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering. His group works on computational and experimental molecular computing, DNA nanotechnology, and synthetic biology. Dr. Lakin received the NSF CAREER award in 2021 and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2025. He has also previously won the UNM School of Engineering's Junior Faculty Research Excellence Award.
The webinar was hosted via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found below. In order to learn about future webinars, you can sign up to our newsletter by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of the page.