Comment: Why attend ACS Fall 2025?

As chair of the American Chemical Society Committee on Meetings and Expositions (M&E), I’d like to personally invite each of you to join me at the reimagined ACS Fall 2025 meeting in Washington, DC. You might ask why I’m extending this invitation. My ACS colleagues on M&E and I have been collaborating closely with other ACS volunteers and staff for over 2 years to make several impactful changes to the meeting. Feedback from ACS members and other relevant parties helped identify the top reasons why they attend ACS meetings: science, networking, and career development. This feedback also provided a basis for making changes to enhance the meeting experience for attendees. We are excited to share those changes with you at ACS Fall 2025.

What’s new? You may have noticed a different schedule for ACS Fall 2025. The meeting will have 3.5 days of programming, and the core oral and poster sessions will start on Monday instead of Sunday. But, valuable events are planned on Sunday to kick off the meeting, including the Open Board Session and ChemLuminary Awards, followed by a 2-hour ACS Connect reception for attendees to network.

M&E has added resources for first-time attendees to make the meeting easier to navigate. A webinar providing tips by seasoned ACS volunteers for getting the most out of ACS Fall 2025 will be held prior to the meeting. An informative orientation for new attendees will follow the webinar. The meeting will also be easier for everyone to navigate physically because we’ve optimized our use of the convention center space and reduced the number of hotels used for programming.

Other enhancements to meeting programming include the following:

▸ greater data-driven content focused on hot topics; collaborative joint sessions; and an added focus on industry-related, solutions-driven, and interdisciplinary programming

▸ more concentrated sessions to increase audience size and enhance engagement and networking with speakers and attendees

▸ experimentation with formats to explore ways to attract diverse audiences

Key programming themes include cutting-edge advancements in quantum computing for drug discovery, sustainable and responsive polymer technologies, innovative strategies for water management, regenerative engineering breakthroughs, sustainable practices in chemistry and pharmaceuticals, energy security innovations, and novel approaches to combating infectious diseases. This programming aims to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, advance sustainability and safety, and highlight groundbreaking research and emerging talent across the chemistry sciences.

While planning your meeting schedule, be sure to include the ACS Fall 2025 Digital Meeting program, which features a selection of curated virtual-only sessions that supplement the in-person programming and international virtual sessions.

Make time to attend the ACS Fall 2025 exposition, too. The expo is a great place for science, networking, and career development. The Expo Theaters will showcase relevant programming of interest to a wide audience. Networking abounds at vendor booths, the daily coffee breaks, and the integrated poster sessions. Career development opportunities include the Career Fair, career-focused programming, and free professional headshots. You can refresh your energy at the Expo Hall Wellness Lounge, an open space featuring wellness activities designed so you can take a mindful break on the show floor.

If you’re a fan of industrial accomplishments in chemistry, you’ll be glad to know that the Heroes of Chemistry Awards are coming back to the fall meeting. Additionally, we are excited to experiment with a new concept called community programming. Beyond the traditional division-level programming, this initiative aims to curate targeted sessions across multiple divisions that support a particular theme or community. For fall 2025, we are focusing specifically on the pharmaceutical industry by strategically selecting and aligning strong programming from various divisions to deliver comprehensive, high-value content tailored for attendees from the pharmaceutical sector.

In good scientific tradition, ACS Fall 2025 is an experiment. We piloted many of these enhancements over the last three meetings, but some will be new. These experimental elements will come together August 17–21, and we want you to be a part of it. And we want your feedback to help us measure our success. Whether it’s the opportunity to participate at the preeminent intersection of scientific disciplines, the chance to share ideas and network with ten thousand other scientists, or the prospect of enhancing your career that resonates most with you, there will be something at the reimagined ACS Fall 2025 meeting for you.

Don’t wait—make your meeting plans now! Early-bird registration rates end on June 12. I look forward to seeing you there.