Graduate Student Affairs Committee

2025-2026 SAC Leadership

Members of the Graduate Student Affairs Committee (SAC) serve a 12 month term and represents the interests of the Chemistry Graduate Student Community. SAC facilitates ongoing communication with various department administrators to develop programming and policies that are representative of the collective student experiences.

Grace Tully, SAC Co-Chair

Matthew Brockley, SAC Co-Chair

Oliver Wu, SAC Treasurer

Kaan Tarhan, SHC Chair

Frank Hu, SHC Industry Partnerships Co-Chair

Amy Laturski, SHC Industry Partnerships Co-Chair

Lianne Alson, Social Co-Chair (Fall)

Alexis Medina, Social Co-Chair (Winter)

Ace Aguilar, Social Co-Chair (Spring)

Casey Chan, Community Outreach Co-Chair

Uran Iwata, Community Outreach Co-Chair

Our Ph.D. projects represent the most significant contributions made by students within the Stanford Chemistry Department, showcasing both the rigor of our training and our ability to address critical questions in molecular science. We recognize the importance of fostering an open and collaborative environment with fellow scientists, as this not only enhances the quality of our projects but also supports our career aspirations and future contributions to the scientific community.

As SAC Co-Chairs, we are committed to upholding this mission by continuing the long-standing tradition of hosting regular seminars and social events that facilitate effective dialogue among our diverse group of graduate researchers, thereby improving the quality of our work. We believe that maintaining a strong, unified community is particularly vital during a time when changes in leadership across scientific institutions nationally have led to feelings of uncertainty and fragmentation. We are grateful to the Department of Chemistry for their continued support of our endeavors to build a strong community of graduate trainees both at the bench and beyond.

Grace Tully and Matthew Brockley

2025-2026 Graduate Student Affairs Committee Co-Chairs

Programs and events organized by SAC include:

Seminars

Student Hosted Colloquia: The departmental colloquia hosted by chemistry graduate students invite 9 distinguished speakers annually to deliver a public presentation on their current research in chemistry. For a current list of upcoming speakers, please check the Student Hosted Colloquia webpage.
Distinguished Women in Science Seminars: Departmental colloquia where outstanding female scientists are invited to the department to discuss both science and issues relating to women in science. For a current list of upcoming speakers, please check the Distinguished Women in Science Seminars webpage.
Summer Student Seminars: A self-organized seminar series for graduate students to give informal talks on their research. These seminars serve to be wonderful opportunities for students to gain experience in research presentations and to exchange ideas and useful feedback with fellow students in a collaborative and collegial setting, without the added pressure of presenting in front of faculty or a more formal audience. Moreover, it's a chance to learn about some of the transformative research that is happening within the department.

Social Events

Donut Hour: Wednesdays at 2:30PM in the Keck Lobby or Chemistry Central Office Patio, weekly year-round. Refreshments are provided by SAC for the chemistry graduate community.
Games Night: Biweekly at 7:00PM in Chemistry Graduate Student Lounge located in Stauffer I, year-round. Refreshments are provided by SAC for the chemistry graduate community.
Summer BBQs: BBQs take place throughout the summer, hosted by different research groups.
Tailgate parties: Tailgates for home football games during the autumn quarter. Food and refreshments provided by SAC for the chemistry graduate community.
ChemWipes: Produced by the first year graduate class at the end of autumn quarter, ChemWipes is a show parodying the department, our faculty and chemists in general. Promises to be an evening of fun, joy and endless laughter.

Programs

Big Sib/Little Sib: Incoming first year graduate students are paired with older graduate students to help them adjust to life in the department.

Professional Development

Career Planning Events: Several professional development workshops, panel discussions, alumni networking events and company information sessions are offered throughout the year in collaboration with the Stanford Chemistry Career Services Division

Students interested in joining SAC are encouraged to apply. New members are selected at the end of Fall and Spring quarters on a rotational basis to serve on the committee.

Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Guidelines

Email SAC: chemistry-sac [at] stanford.edu (chemistry-sac[at]stanford[dot]edu).