Making the Case: Building a Sustainable Chemistry Minded Workforce Through Education

Fluctuations in political, economic, and R&D cycles may introduce uncertainty and necessitate the reallocation of resources, which can affect the adoption of sustainable chemistry and greener processes. Such disruptions have the potential to compromise long-term business resilience, elevate risk levels, and adversely impact both human health and the environment. Continuing to advance sustainable chemistry in a changing environment requires continued policy, investment, and market commitments. 

To ensure sustainable chemistry remains a priority, demonstrating and communicating its positive impact on all business functions and through the value chain is critical. During this webinar series, subject matter experts will share tools and insights to assist champions with effectively "making the case". Structured as a series of discussions, attendees will have the unique opportunity to pre-competitively engage with the speakers and other companies facing similar challenges. 

During the first 3 webinars, experts shared the benefits of sustainable chemistry for investors, on domestic manufacturing, and business health. This webinar builds on these conversations by highlighting the need for education - both in academia and for workforce development - in order to build a workforce with sustainable chemistry knowledge and skill sets. Juan Colberg from Pfizer will discuss the business benefits of a sustainability minded workforce and needs to attract this talent. Amy Cannon from Beyond Benign will share how our community can support students and educators in training the next generation for success. 

*This webinar is available to Change Chemistry members only.  

Speaker

Juan Colberg

Global Green Chemistry Program Leader and Sr. Director of Chemical Technology in Chemical R&D at Pfizer

Juan Colberg is currently Pfizer’s Global Green Chemistry Program Leader and Sr. Director of Chemical Technology in Chemical R&D. He leads several efforts developing novel technologies suitable for API manufacturing, directs Pfizer’s continuous manufacturing Kilo Lab in Groton, CT USA and he is a member of Pfizer’s Chemical Regulations (e.g., PFAS). Juan has a 30 year robust career at Pfizer, from R&D to manufacturing roles, where he has shown his passion for green chemistry implementation. Noteworthy, Juan serves as a Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) advisor to the US EPA, IQ Green Chemistry Working Group cochair, Pharmeco steering committee member and ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable active member and past cochair, among others, to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices across the pharmaceutical sector. He holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico.

Amy Cannon

Co-Founder and Executive Director of Beyond Benign

Amy is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Beyond Benign, a non-profit dedicated to green chemistry education. She holds the world’s first Ph.D. in green chemistry from the University of Massachusetts Boston where she worked with Dr. John Warner, a founder of the field of green chemistry. Amy has industrial experience working for the Gillette Company and Rohm and Haas, and was an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell before founding Beyond Benign. Her work is aimed at empowering educators to integrate green chemistry into their teaching and practice to prepare scientists and citizens with green chemistry skills.   

Don't miss the other parts of this series!

Upcoming: 

• August 7th at noon EST - Making the Case: Securing Internal Buy-in for Sustainable Chemistry

Past Webinars: 

• Making the Case: Gaining Investor Support for Sustainable Chemistry
• Making the Case: Supporting Rural Communities, Domestic Manufacturing, and Innovation with Sustainable Chemistry and the Bioeconomy