Associate Professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Minnesota Adam Duerfeldt will speak at Central College’s Commencement ceremony, which will be held at 10 am on Saturday, May 11th, in Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.

Duerfeldt, a 2006 Central graduate, currently leads a research group focused on developing new antibiotics and therapies for common eye diseases and teaches in the University of Minnesota’s College of Pharmacy. While at Central, Duerfeldt played baseball and served as the team captain for two years. He was the 2006 College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-American of the Year and garnered other athletics awards during his career. Duerfeldt was inducted into the Central College Hall of Fame in 2022 and served on Central’s National Advisory Council from 2015 to 2017.

A native of Urbandale, Duerfeldt studied chemistry at Central and graduated with the highest distinction. After graduating from Central, Duerfeldt completed a doctorate in 2011 at the University of Kansas in medicinal chemistry, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Scripps Research Institute in California. He began his faculty career at the University of Oklahoma, where he remained for six years and was named Outstanding Professor of the Year in 2017. He moved to the University of Minnesota in 2020.

For more information on Central’s Commencement, find a link here.