Dram & Discussion - Chicago Scots

Join Gus Noble OBE in-person or online when Stuart Miller, a top global sustainability scientist at UL Materials Research Institute, hosts his friend, Nobel Laureate Sir David MacMillan, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University, for a ‘Dram & Discussion’ on his accomplished career, his love of football, and how being Scottish helped him win the Nobel Prize!

Learn more about Sir David’s remarkable story, including:

The happy childhood growing up in New Stevenston, Scotland, the grandson of a coal miner and the son of a steelworker and the academic journey that led to Princeton.
Why risk taking and “solving problems in inventive ways” is his trademark.
The Nobel Prize breakthrough that led to developing – asymmetric organocatalysis – which revolutionized how molecules are built, making drug manufacturing much more efficient and environmentally friendly, greener and safer.
Why he bet his house on a BBC broadcast last year that his work in molecular chemistry will lead to a treatment in Alzheimer’s disease by 2030.

WHEN
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
5:30PM – 6:45PM CST
Attend In-Person or Online!

WHERE
UL Materials Discovery Research Institute
8045 Lamon Ave
Suites 320 & 360
Skokie, IL 60077

REGISTRATION
Dram & Discussion is a complimentary program, but advance registration is required. Sign up to join us in person or online.

Register Now

Sir David MacMillan

David W. C. MacMillan was born in Bellshill, Scotland, and received his undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Glasgow, where he worked with Dr. Ernie Colvin. In 1990, he began his doctoral studies under the direction of Professor Larry Overman at the University of California, Irvine, before undertaking a postdoctoral position with Professor Dave Evans at Harvard University in 1996. He began his independent career at the University of California, Berkeley, in July of 1998 before moving to Caltech in 2000 as the Earle C. Anthony Chair of Organic Chemistry. In 2006, Dave moved to Princeton University as the A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Chemistry. He served as Department Chair from 2010–2015 and is currently the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry and a Ludwig Distinguished Scholar. Dave shares the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Benjamin List “for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.” He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2022. His research interests encompass a wide range of organic chemistry, including the development of new areas in organocatalysis and photoredox catalysis.

Stuart Miller

Stuart Miller, Ph.D., is vice president and executive director of the Materials Discovery Research Institute (MDRI) at UL Research Institutes, overseeing internal and collaborative research into atomic, nanoscale, and mesoscale materials. Through his leadership, Miller provides the strategic vision and technical knowledge necessary to understand and leverage these materials more fully, helping to reduce or eliminate adverse health and safety side effects present in our modern world. This work supports MDRI’s mission of addressing resilience and sustainability through the development and deployment of novel materials and devices based upon those materials.

A longtime materials scientist and proven innovator, Dr. Miller worked in various capacities at Honeywell UOP for more than 10 years before joining UL Research Institutes. Most recently, Miller worked as a senior manager and principal scientist, leading Honeywell UOP’s Energy Storage Group. Before working in the Energy Storage Group, he worked as both a lead scientist and senior scientist in Honeywell UOP’s New Materials Group for more than six years. Miller holds 32 active U.S. patents, along with a number of pending patent applications, and he has published two dozen scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Miller received a doctorate in materials chemistry from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. His research work focused on the pursuit of novel scandium-based materials, which led to a lifelong interest in materials synthesis and characterization.

Scotland: Pioneering Whisky Sustainability

ImpEx Beverages, the Official Whisky Provider of the Chicago Scots, has selected two sustainable boutique whiskies for our Dram & Discussion. Enjoy them ‘in person’ or bring them home for a private tasting tutorial. Special thanks to Kevin Obis, Brand Ambassador and Sales Manager for the Midwest, for leading our tasting. You’ve seen him at the Highland Games, Kilted Classic Golf Tournament and the Feast of the Haggis.

Nc’nean Organic Single Malt

Made by the only fully organic distillery in Scotland, Nc’nean puts sustainability at the forefront of their whisky production by using entirely organic barley, a biomass boiler, cooling pond, 100% post consumer recycled glass, and many other small but meaningful projects. You can read all about their sustainability efforts on their website. Nc’nean Organic Single Malt can be purchases at many retailers and is available for home delivery here.

Ardnamurchan AD

Made in the isolated western highlands of Scotland, Ardnamurchan embraced sustainability first as a necessity due to their remote location and because it was the right thing to do. A biomass boiler burning wood chip from a nearby sustainably forestry heats not only their stills but the whole distillery, while a hydroelectric generator on the Glenmore river and solar panels on top of the warehouses keep the lights on and pump electricity back onto the grid. You can read more about their sustainability efforts on their website. Ardnamurchan AD can be purchased at many retailers and is available for home delivery through Binny’s here.