21st Annual Bunnett Symposium, UC Santa Cruz Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

• Featured lecturer Dr. John Warner, co-founder of the field of Green Chemistry
• 4pm. Learn more

This annual event was established in 2001 to honor and celebrate the late Prof. Joseph Bunnett’s seminal contributions: Prof. Bunnett was a pioneer in his sub-discipline of physical organic chemistry and a founding member of our department. The Bunnett Symposium has evolved into an opportunity to connect past and present friends of the Department for discussion, accompanied by exposure to seminal ideas in chemistry through the distinguished lecture, and an Awards Ceremony where we honor the academic and research achievements of our current crop of outstanding undergraduates. 

John Warner is a chemistry Inventor and cofounder of the field of Green Chemistry

In the early 1990’s John realized that global students in chemistry had little (or no) training in predictive toxicology or understanding of environmental systems. He felt that the consequence of this lack of training was a root cause for why many industrial products and processes have negative impacts on human health and the environment. He realized that an ongoing lack of training would forever inhibit the invention of better, more sustainable technologies. Together with Paul Anastas, he defined the field of Green Chemistry and created the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. He has spent his life working to change the field of chemistry and the education of future chemists to ensure that all practicing chemists will one day have the necessary skills to invent truly sustainable technologies. Together with Dr. Amy Cannon, he founded the non-profit, Beyond Benign that offers the “Green Chemistry Commitment” that asks University Chemistry programs to add the principles of green chemistry into their required curriculum. As of 2022 nearly 100 international universities have signed this commitment. John’s career has spanned all aspects of the chemical enterprises, providing real world examples of green chemistry:

As an Industrial Chemist:

• Worked for Polaroid Corporation and The Zymergen Corporation.
• Received the Perkin Medal in 2014. (Highest honor in US Chemical Industry)
• Flied over 330 patents.
• Invented technologies for companies including Nike, Givaudan, Covestro, Lanxess and Entegris.
• Served on advisory boards for companies including Dow, Nike, Levis and Apple

As an Academic Chemist:

• Full Professor of Chemistry at University of Massachusetts Boston
• Full Professor of Plastics Engineering at University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Distinguished Professor of Green Chemistry at Monash University
• Honorary Professor of Chemistry at Technical University of Berlin
• Visiting Professor at AgroParis Tech
• Global Chair of Sustainability at University of Bath
• Created world’s first graduate program in Green Chemistry.
• Over 100 publications
• Received Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring in 2004
• Received the August Wilhelm von Hofmann medal in 2022

As Entrepreneur:

• Named Lemelson Invention Ambassador in 2016
• Created 6 ongoing companies
  • Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry
  • Beyond Benign
  • Collaborative Medicinal Development
  • Collaborative Aggregates
  • Ambient Photonics
  • Hairprint
• TU Berlin named the John Warner Center for Startups in Green Chemistry

As Chemicals Policy Advisor:

• Cofounder of US EPA Green Chemistry Challenge Award
• Strategic Advisor Victorian Environmental Protection Agency
• Cochair California Green Chemistry Science Advisory Board
• Testified to US Congress on The Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019