Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff / Welcome from the GRC Chair
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm
Keynote Session: The Need for Sustainable Approaches to Lignin Valorization
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm
Opening Remarks
7:45 pm - 7:50 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:50 pm - 8:25 pm
"Designing Lignins for the Biorefinery"
8:25 pm - 8:40 pm
Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:15 pm
"Building New Chemistry from Lignin Platform Molecules"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Understanding and Tailoring Lignin Biosynthesis In Planta
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:30 am
"Tailoring Lignin: From the Lab to the Field"
9:30 am - 9:40 am
Discussion
9:40 am - 10:05 am
"Evolution for Lignin Metabolism: New Insights, More Open Questions"
10:05 am - 10:15 am
Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
"The Mediator Complex Is a Key Player in the Modification of Lignin Content and Composition"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:45 am
"Lignin Monomers from Outside the Canonical Monolignol Biosynthetic Pathway"
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Discussion
11:55 am - 12:20 pm
"Do We Know All the Players in Monolignol Biosynthesis?"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Designing Lignin for Deconstruction in Energy Crops
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 8:00 pm
"Mining Natural Variation in Lignin Content and Chemistry Captured in a Populus trichocarpa Association Population"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:35 pm
"Spinning Straw into Gold: Tailoring Lignin to Maximize Sugar Release from Cereal Wastes"
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm
Discussion
8:45 pm - 9:10 pm
"Upgrading Lignin via Monolignol Transferases"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Towards Selective Catalytic Lignin Depolymerization
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:30 am
"Breaking Away from Batch: Challenges and Opportunities for Lignin Processing in Flow Reactors"
9:30 am - 9:40 am
Discussion
9:40 am - 10:05 am
"Catalytic Cleavage of Carbon-Carbon and Carbon-Oxygen Bonds in Lignin"
10:05 am - 10:15 am
Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
"Phyto- and Electrocatalytic Approaches to Lignin Degradation"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:45 am
"Catalytic Methods for the Conversion of Lignin and Lignocellulose to Valuable Chemicals and Fuels"
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Discussion
11:55 am - 12:20 pm
"Using Protection Group Chemistry During Lignin Extraction and Valorization"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Catalytic Production of Chemicals from Lignin
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 8:00 pm
"Oxidative Routes to Lignin Depolymerization"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:35 pm
"Catalytic β-O-4 Ether Cleavage in Lignin and Lignin Models by Selective Activation, Cleavage and Scavenging"
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm
Discussion
8:45 pm - 9:10 pm
"Chemical Synthons and Recyclable Materials from Lignin"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Elucidating Lignin Structure with Emerging Analytical and Computational Methods
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:30 am
"NMR Approaches for Studying Lignin Diversity and Flexibility: Principles and Some Case Studies"
9:30 am - 9:40 am
Discussion
9:40 am - 10:05 am
"Need for Speed: Fast Tracks for Characterization of Technical Lignins"
10:05 am - 10:15 am
Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
"Mapping the Structural Decomposition Space of Lignin Using Computational Approaches"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:45 am
"On the Structure of Softwood Kraft Lignin"
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Discussion
11:55 am - 12:05 pm
"Exploring the Mechanism of Pseudolignin Formation During Ionic Liquid Pretreatment"
12:05 pm - 12:10 pm
Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:20 pm
12:20 pm - 12:25 pm
Discussion
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm
General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Business Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Designing New Lignin-Based Polymeric Materials
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 8:00 pm
"Yes, We Can Make Anything out of Lignin: Lignin as Crucial Feedstocks for the Rapidly Growing Bio-Economy"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:35 pm
"Essential Scientific and Technical Milestones Needed Prior to Lignin Utilization"
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm
Discussion
8:45 pm - 9:10 pm
"From Trees to Plastics: Designer Polymers from Lignin-Rich Feedstocks"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Microbial Conversion of Lignin
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:30 am
"The Initial Stage of the Bacterial Catabolism of Lignin-Derived Aromatics: How Do Bacterial Cells Take up These Aromatics?"
9:30 am - 9:40 am
Discussion
9:40 am - 10:05 am
"Developing Pathways and Metabolic Capacities in P. putida , a Promising Host for Lignin Conversion"
10:05 am - 10:15 am
Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
"EASy Does It: Evolution of New Enzymes and Pathways for Bacterial Aromatic Compound Catabolism"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:45 am
"Mining Bacterial Genomes to Produce Valuable Products from Lignin"
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Discussion
11:55 am - 12:05 pm
"Diversifying the Portfolio of Products that Can Be Made from Lignin Using Pseudomonas putida "
12:05 pm - 12:10 pm
Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:20 pm
"The eLignin Database and Other Advances in Lignin Depolymerisation, Analysis and Biological Conversion"
12:20 pm - 12:25 pm
Discussion
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm
General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Enzymatic Lignin Depolymerization
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 8:00 pm
"Real Lignin Oxidation as Seen from the Enzyme Side"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:35 pm
"Directed Evolution of the Ligninolytic Secretome"
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm
Discussion
8:45 pm - 9:10 pm
"Towards Reconstitution of Lignin Biosynthesis and Breakdown"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Departure