The fourth annual Chemical Biology Area Research Conference (CBARC) was held on January 13, 2026, at the I Hotel Conference Center on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. The purpose of CBARC is to foster scientific discussions, spark new ideas, and promote collaborations. The January 2025 conference was attended by faculty and students from 15 Department of Chemistry research groups, with over 120 attendees. The conference agenda included six oral presentations by graduate students, as well as two poster sessions where members of all attending groups presented their research. Also in attendance were representatives of several industrial sponsors, whose generous support allowed us to reserve the Conference Center venue and cover the cost of lunch for everyone. The fifth annual CBARC will be on Tuesday, January 12, 2027.

 

CBARC 2026 Agenda

Tuesday, January 13, 2026
 

9:20 a.m.    Gathering and Opening Remarks

9:25 - 10:40 a.m.    Student Oral Presentations

10:40 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.    Poster and Discussion Session

12:00 - 1:15 p.m.    Lunch

1:15 - 2:30 p.m.    Student Oral Presentations

2:30 - 3:30 p.m.    Poster and Discussion Session

3:30 p.m.    Conference Conclusion

 

We thank our CBARC 2026 sponsors!

Eli Lilly & Company
Procter & Gamble
Lubrizol
NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program

CBARC 2026 Photos

Six graduate student presenters standing side by side in front of a large overhead screen with names of conference sponsors.

CBARC 2026 presenters (from left to right): 
Graduate students Chang Jiang, Kyle Abo, Shuangshuang Chen, Elisia Meyle, Enleyona Weir, and Arden Clauss.

Below are more photos from the conference. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Student standing at a podium presenting research on a large overhead screen.
Large conference room filled with people in chairs listening to a presentation
Student at a podium presenting research on a large overhead screen
Large conference room filled with people in chairs listening to a presentation
Student at a podium presenting research on a large overhead screen
Student at a podium presenting research on a large overhead screen
Student at a podium presenting research on a large overhead screen
Large conference room filled with people in chairs listening to a presentation
Conference room filled with people sitting at circle tables enjoying lunch
Conference room full of people standing at presentation boards sharing their research
Conference room full of people standing at presentation boards sharing their research

Previous CBARC Conferences

The first annual Chemical Biology Area Research Conference (CBARC) was held on January 13, 2023, at the I Hotel Conference Center on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. The January 2023 conference was attended by faculty and students from 14 Department of Chemistry research groups, with over 100 attendees. The conference agenda included six oral presentations by graduate students, as well as two poster sessions where members of all attending groups presented their research. 

CBARC 2025

CBARC 2025 Agenda

Tuesday, January 14, 2025
 

9:15 a.m.    Gathering and Opening Remarks

9:30 - 10:45 a.m.    Student Oral Presentations

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.    Poster and Discussion Session

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.    Lunch

1:00 - 2:15 p.m.    Student Oral Presentations

2:15 - 3:30 p.m.    Poster and Discussion Session

3:30 p.m.    Conference Conclusion

 

We thank our CBARC 2025 sponsors!

Eli Lilly & Company
Procter & Gamble
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
Abbott Diagnostics
Genus
NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program

 

CBARC 2025 Photos

Group of graduate student presenters standing side by side in front of a large screen with conference sponsor logos.
CBARC 2025 presenters (from left to right):  Graduate students Alexis Lower, Prakriti Das, and Qianlu Feng; alumnus Dr. Brandon Burkhart (Ph.D., '17); and graduate students Aiden Houck, Tarek El Sayed, and Diego Orea. 
Two photos of audience in large conference room listening to presenter at a podium with large overhead screen

 

Student Presenters

Four photos each showing graduate students at a podium presenting their research on a large overhead screen
Two photos of audience in large conference room listening to presenter at a podium with large overhead screen


Poster Sessions

Photos of people standing in a large conference room listening to individual poster presentations

Lunch Break

Photos of people sitting at tables in large conference room eating lunch

CBARC 2024

CBARC 2024 Agenda

Friday, January 12, 2024

9:20 a.m.    Gathering and Opening Remarks

9:30 - 10:45 a.m.    Student Oral Presentations

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.    Poster and Discussion Session

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.    Lunch

1:00 - 2:15 p.m.    Student Oral Presentations

2:15 - 3:30 p.m.    Poster and Discussion Session

3:30 p.m.    Conference Conclusion

 

We thank our CBARC 2024 sponsors!

Abbott Diagnostics
Corteva Agriscience
Merck
Procter & Gamble
NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program

 

 CBARC 2024

Audience sits in chairs listening to speaker at the front of a room at podium with a large presentation screen.

 

Student Presenters

Collage of photos showing six student presenters standing side by side and then individual photos of them speaking at the podium.

 

Poster Sessions

Five photos showing people standing in a large room listening to several students present next to posters illustrating their research projects.

 

Lunch Break

A large room full of round tables filled with people sitting at each table eating lunch.

 

CBARC 2023

 

CBARC 2023 Agenda

Friday, January 13, 2023

8:50 a.m.    Gathering and Opening Remarks

9:00 - 10:15 a.m.    Student Oral Presentations

10:15 a.m. - 11:45 p.m.    Poster and Discussion Session

11:45 - 1:00 p.m.    Lunch

1:00 - 2:15 p.m.    Student Oral Presentations

2:15 - 4:00 p.m.    Poster and Discussion Session

4:00 p.m.    Conference Conclusion

We thank our CBARC 2023 sponsors!

Abbott Diagnostics
Corteva Agriscience
Genentech
Eli Lilly and Company
Procter & Gamble
NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program

 

CBARC 2023

 

Four photos showing six student presenters standing side by side; a poster session in a big room; a speaker presenting to an audience; and television screen on the wall listing sponsors.

Speakers

 

Six photos showing speakers at the podium presenting their research on a large screen.

Poster session

 

Six photos showing a crowd of people in a big room standing and listening to researchers at mobile bulletin boards present their research.

Lunch break

 

Three photos showing event participants sitting at round tables in a large room enjoying lunch and networking.

Presentations

 

Four separate photos showing a seated crowd listening to a speaker at the front of the room presenting research from a podium with a large overhead screen.