Dalton Lecture Series
The Broken Mirror: Molecular Asymmetry and the Enigma of Life’s Origins
Dr. Thomas Rizzo, Chief Scientific Officer, Isospec Analytics
Professor of Chemistry (Emeritus), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Bauman Auditorium, George Fox University
The George Fox University Department of Biological and Molecular Sciences presents the 14th annual Dalton Lecture.
Dr. Rizzo will discuss the handedness of biological molecules – they can occur in either left-handed or right-handed varieties. While normal chemical synthesis produces equal (i.e., so-called racemic) mixtures of both types, all living systems on Earth contain almost exclusively left-handed amino acids and right-handed carbohydrates. Dr. Rizzo will consider possible explanations for this marked asymmetry and discuss experiments that might determine whether this observation is more consistent with a Christian or a secular worldview.
The public is welcome and admission is free.
Additional Lecture
Science Lecture on Molecular fingerprints: From laser spectroscopy to biomarker discovery
Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
Bauman Auditorium
Speaker Information
Born in Queens, New York in 1956, Tom Rizzo studied chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he graduated cum laude in 1978. He then pursued his doctoral studies in physical chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving his PhD in 1983. From 1984-86 he did postdoctoral work at the James Franck Institute of the University of Chicago, and in 1986 he was named Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Rochester. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1992 and then Full Professor in 1993. In 1994 he accepted a position of Professor of Chemistry at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
His research has focused on combining laser spectroscopy, ion mobility, and mass spectrometry for applications in biomolecular analysis. Upon retiring from EPFL in 2023, he took up a part-time position as Chief Scientific Officer at Isospec Analytics, a start-up that spun off from his laboratory, where they apply this technology for the discovery of disease biomarkers.
Some recent distinctions for his work include the Bourke Award of the Faraday Society (2009), the Ron Hites Award from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2017), and an ERC Advanced Grant for his work in biomolecular analysis (2018). He was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1998 and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) in 2011.
During his time at EPFL, Tom has served as the Head of the Department of Chemistry (1997-2004) and the Dean of the School of Basic Sciences (2004-2017).
Tom has been involved in Christian ministry in each of his academic appointments. He has given talks on the relationship of Science and Faith on a number of campuses in Europe and currently serves as a mentor to Christian postgraduate groups in Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy.
Tom has been married to Karen for 45 years and has two children and five grandchildren.
About the Dalton Lecture Series
The Dalton Lecture Series is sponsored by the George Fox University Department of Biology and Chemistry. These annual lectures feature eminent scientists who are Christian. The Dalton Lecture Series was born out of a desire to not only present world-renowned scientists to George Fox students and the local community, but to show how these scientists integrate their Christianity. Contrary to all-too-common thought, it is possible for a scientist to be intellectually engaged and be a Christian!
John Dalton (1766-1844) was a Quaker scientist best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory. He remained a faithful Quaker and educator his entire life.
The Dalton Lecture is open to the public and free of charge. The Dalton Lecture is followed by a reception and a George Fox University research student poster session.
Previous Lectures
2025
Speaker: Julia Wattacheril, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine
Title: Engineering Trustworthiness: How Understanding Brokenness Helps Us Move Towards Wholeness
2024
Speaker: Dr. Praveen Sethupathy, Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University
Title: Stardust & Wonder
2023
Speaker: Dr. Deborah Haarsma, President of Biologos
Title: Should We Trust Science?
2020
Speaker: Ian H. Hutchinson, Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Title: The True Story of Science and Faith
2019
Speaker: Dr. Richard L. Lindroth, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Ecology
Title: Climate Change and the Pursuit of Truth in a Post-truth World
2018
Speaker: Dr. Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology University of Cambridge
Title: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe?
2017
Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, Astrophysicist
Title: Universe of Wonder: Galaxies, Stars, Planets, and Life
2016
Speaker: Dr. James Tour T. T. and W. F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Computer Science, Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice University Smalley Institute of Nanoscience and Technology
Title: Jesus Christ and Nanotechnology: The impact of faith on the life of a scientist
2015
Speaker: Dr. William Phillips, 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics
Fellow and group leader of the Joint Quantum Institute of the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Title: Ordinary Faith, Ordinary Science
2014
Speaker: Dr. Bill Newsome, Harman Family Provostial Professor, Director of Bio-X NeuroVentures and Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford University
Title: Brain, Mind and Free Will: Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?
2013
Speaker: Dr. Henry F. Schaefer III, Graham Perdue Professor of Chemistry Director, Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry at University of Georgia
Title: The Big Bang, Stephen Hawking and God
2012
Speaker: Dr. Gerald Gabrielse, Leverett Professor of Physics, Harvard University
Title: God of Antimatter
2011
Speaker: Dr. Kent Thornburg, M. Lowell Edwards Chair, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, and Director of the Heart Research Center, Oregon Health & Sciences University
Title: New Science Wrestles An Old Problem: The Roots of Human Disease