Philipp Klahn gives us an insight into the evolution of the Nordic Seminar Series in Organic Chemistry, which was originally a Swedish project.
Philipp Klahn, Senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Gothenburg, took over the National Seminar Series in Organic Chemistry from Nina Kann, Chalmers Univeristy of Technology, in September 2024. He teamed up with Marius Haugland-Grange from UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, to transform he meeting series into the Swedish–Norwegian Seminar Series in Organic Chemistry, featuring academic and industrial research from both countries. Although primarily aimed at the Swedish and Norwegian organic chemistry communities, the seminars have also been open to a wider international audience, with presentations streamed online via Zoom or Teams.
For the 2025–2026 academic year, the organizational team set the ambitious goal of expanding the series to include all five Nordic countries. Benjamin Ragnar Sveinbjörsson from the University of Iceland subsequently joined the team, and the Nordic Seminar Series in Organic Chemistry, was launched.
As the word spread, the network grew organically. Michael Pittelkow from the University of Copenhagen and Yuri Timonen from the University of Helsinki, both initially members of the seminar audience, joined the organizing team for the 2026–2027 academic year.
─ We now have organizers representing all five Nordic countries, which is a fantastic development! says Philipp Klahn.
Beyond expanding the geographical scope, the team has also experimented with different weekdays and times to accommodate the varying schedules and preferences across the Nordic countries.
─ Ultimately, our aim is to create a shared platform that brings together the Nordic organic chemistry community, strengthens connections between academia and industry, and encourages scientific exchange across national borders.
How is the series going so far?
─ The feedback on the seminar series has been very positive so far! We typically attract between 50 and 100 participants per seminar, representing both academia and industry from across all five Nordic countries. Since the seminars are held online via Zoom or Teams and promoted through LinkedIn, we also reach an international audience beyond the Nordic region.
Although organic chemistry remains at the heart of the series, the organizing team has decided to cover a broad range of topics, including physical organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and bioorganic chemistry. This attracts researchers from neighboring disciplines and creates a diverse audience with different scientific backgrounds and perspectives.
─ I think this diversity is one of the real strengths of the series. It often leads to lively and interesting discussions after the presentations, bringing together researchers who might not otherwise have the opportunity to interact. In that sense, the series is not just about sharing exciting research but also about fostering connections across disciplines, institutions, and national borders.
How do you select the topics for the seminars?
─ When selecting speakers and topics, we aim to strike a balance in terms of geographical representation, gender, and career stage, while showcasing the broad diversity of organic chemistry research across the Nordic countries. We want the program to reflect the richness of the Nordic research landscape, covering different areas of organic chemistry and highlighting exciting developments from both academia and industry.
─ At present, our program typically features around four to five speakers from Sweden, one or two each from Norway, Denmark, and Finland, and occasionally a speaker from Iceland. The distribution naturally reflects differences in the size of the respective research communities. Particularly for Iceland, with its smaller organic chemistry community, we need to be mindful not to exhaust our pool of potential speakers too quickly!
With organizers now representing all five Nordic countries, the organizational team can draw on their different scientific networks to identify interesting speakers and emerging research directions.
─ Ultimately, our goal is to offer a varied and engaging program that gives researchers at different career stages a platform to present their work and strengthens connections across the Nordic chemistry community.
Do you have any goals or plans for further developing the seminar series in the future?
─ Having successfully expanded the series from a Swedish initiative into a truly Nordic platform, our main goal now is to consolidate this development and establish the Nordic Seminar Series in Organic Chemistry as a regular meeting point for the organic chemistry community across all five countries, says Philipp Klahn.
He adds that they would like to further increase the visibility of the series, reach more researchers from both academia and industry, and encourage participation from neighboring disciplines.
─ At the same time, we want to maintain a good balance between countries, gender, and career stages, while continuing to showcase the broad diversity and high quality of organic chemistry research in the Nordic region.
─ One idea we are considering is to occasionally invite researchers based outside the Nordic countries who have strong scientific or personal connections to the region. This could bring additional perspectives and broaden the range of research presented, while preserving the distinct Nordic identity of the series. After all, we want to complement existing international seminar formats rather than simply create another one.
He adds that another important aspect is to keep the organization relatively simple and sustainable.
─ Ultimately, I think the greatest potential of the series lies in bringing the Nordic chemistry community closer together. If our seminars inspire new scientific connections, collaborations, or simply make researchers more aware of the exciting chemistry happening in neighboring countries, we have already achieved something valuable. And, of course, we hope to keep the series running for many years to come!