Creating a Sustainable Future for Agriculture: Lunch and Lessons from Two Award-Winning Researchers

UPCOMING Webinar

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When: 12 PM EST USA, September 10, 2025

Presenters: Thomas P. Selby, PhD, Corporate Fellow, Retired FMC/DuPont and Winner of the ACS AGRO International Award for Research in Agrochemicals; and
William Mitch, PhD, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University and Winner of the 2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Research Article of the Year

Moderator: Dena Barrett – Vice Chair, Agrochemicals Division, American Chemical Society

Description: Attendees will learn about the “art” and process of agrochemical discovery through Tom Selby’s experience. He will discuss his role in co-inventing several influential agricultural products, such as the powdery mildew fungicide proquinazid, the broad-spectrum insecticide chlorantraniliprole, and the rice herbicide tetflupyrolimet.
Attendees will also learn about a novel, environmentally friendly method Bill Mitch developed to control the potent greenhouse gas sulfuryl fluoride. His research details an electrochemical process for on-site generation of chemicals that effectively capture and degrade this agricultural fumigant.

Presenter Bios: In a career spanning 45 years (DuPont/FMC), Tom Selby has pursued a lifelong interest in the discovery of new biologically active molecules. He received his B.S. in chemistry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Indiana University. His research interests have included herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.

He is co-inventor of four agrochemicals: the fungicide proquinazid, the diamide insecticides: chlorantraniliprole (Rynaxypyr®) and cyantraniliprole (Cyazypyr (TM)), and more recently, the new mode-of-action rice herbicide tetflupyrolimet. He holds 65 issued US patents and has 60 published world patent applications.

Bill Mitch is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. He obtained a BA in Archaeology from Harvard University and MS and PhD degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. His work focuses on environmental chemistry, with applications in municipal drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment and recycling and agriculture.

For past webinar recordings, please visit the Lunch and Learn Webinar Archive.