The Department of Chemistry at the FMIPA UNEJ, hosted a hybrid guest lecture on October 16, creating a space for the exchange of scientific knowledge with an international academic. Titled “Synthetic Chemistry: Driving Innovation in Drug Discovery and Pharmaceutical Development,” the event part of the Diaspora Berdampak 2026 featured ChM Dr. Agustono Wibowo from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, as the guest speaker. Participants, particularly students from the Department of Chemistry, had the opportunity to gain the latest insights into the role of synthetic chemistry in drug discovery and the pharmaceutical industry.
The guest lecture was opened by the Vice Dean I of the FMIPA UNEJ, Prof. Dra. Hari Sulistiyowati, M.Sc., Ph.D. In her remarks, she noted that international guest lectures offer a valuable opportunity for participants to learn directly from academics with global experience and a proven track record in research. “Make the most of this event by engaging in active discussion, drawing on the speakers’ experiences, and broadening your perspective on developments in the field of chemistry a discipline increasingly focused on innovation and international collaboration,” she said, accompanied by the Head of the Chemistry Department at FMIPA, Prof. Dr. Anak Agung Istri Ratnadewi, S.Si., M.Si.
During the presentation session, ChM Dr. Agustono Wibowo explained how synthetic chemistry serves as a crucial foundation for drug discovery and pharmaceutical development. He outlined the stages involved from identifying active compounds in natural products and developing drug candidates to utilizing computational chemistry and machine learning to design more efficient new catalysts. “The use of computational approaches, including Density Functional Theory (DFT), can enhance the efficiency of ligand design and accelerate reaction optimization,” he explained. Furthermore, he noted that these methods facilitate the prediction of compound characteristics, making the drug development process faster, more accurate, and more resource-efficient. The guest lecture was moderated by Ana Yulvia, S.Si., M.Si.
While presenting the material, ChM Dr. Agustono Wibowo also posed several questions to the participants, offering attractive prizes for those who answered correctly. Following the event, the Head of the Chemistry FMIPA UNEJ, Prof. Dr. Anak Agung Istri Ratnadewi, expressed her commitment to supporting the internationalization of higher education while strengthening a research culture that remains adaptive to advancements in science and technology. “The ‘Impactful Diaspora Program 2026’ is expected to open doors for research collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the development of innovations specifically for the advancement of chemistry, as well as the pharmaceutical industry and public health,” she stated.
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