Amy Cannon

Amy holds the world's first Ph.D. in Green Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts Boston where her research involved the environmentally benign synthesis of photoactive materials. She is the co-founder and executive director of Beyond Benign, a non-profit organization dedicated to green chemistry education. She received her M.S. in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts Boston and her B.A. in Chemistry from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. Amy worked as an Assistant Professor of Green Chemistry and Director of Outreach and Community Education at the Center for Green Chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Lowell until September of 2007 when she left to co-found Beyond Benign. Amy has industrial experience working as an analytical chemist for the Gillette Company and as a scientist for Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials. She was awarded the Kenneth G. Hancock Memorial Award in Green Chemistry in 2004 for her work on titanium dioxide semiconductors and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells. Amy was awarded the 2012 EPA New England Environmental Merit award for her leadership and work on green chemistry education. Amy is passionate about transforming chemistry education in K-12 and higher education. She focuses on chemistry education to better prepare students and scientists to enter the workforce trained with the skills to create sustainable materials and products. Through Beyond Benign, she empowers the green chemistry community to bring green chemistry to their teaching and practice through multiple initiatives.