Mr Paul Anastas, Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences) and Teresa and H. John Heinz III Professor in the Practice of Chemistry for the Environment, Yale School of Public Health and Yale School of the Environment (Green Chemistry), USA, was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa of the Department of Chemistry, School of Science, NKUA, on Friday, 11 November 2022, at the Great Hall of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Widely regarded as the ‘Father of Green Chemistry,’ Professor Paul Anastas has dedicated his professional life to a healthier, more sustainable world. He began his career working in the public sector as a staff chemist at the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), where he invented the term ‘Green Chemistry.’
He served in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) within the Executive Office of the US President, where he engaged with national environmental issues and established the Presidential Green Chemistry Awards. He was then appointed founding director of the American Chemical Society’s Green Chemistry Institute. At Yale University, Professor Paul Anastas co-founded and assumed the role of director of the Centre for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering when President Obama asked him to return to the EPA to act as chief scientist.
Professor Paul Anastas led the response to several national and international crises, including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. While serving in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Professor Paul Anastas has been instrumental in resolving critical scientific matters that surfaced in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Professor Paul Anastas has a great many scientific papers on his CV (over 200) and has authored fourteen books, co-founded five companies in his field, spent four years in the White House, fifteen years in the US government, and fifteen years at Yale University.
The awarding of the title of doctor honoris causa to Professor Paul Anastas comes in a time of close cooperation between the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Yale University, with the core element being the launch of a postgraduate student exchange programme in fields covered by both Universities, such as Health Sciences or Science. In the above context, students will enjoy the possibility of enrolment on modules counting towards a degree without having to pay Yale University any additional tuition.
The ceremony was addressed by the Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Meletios-Athanasios Dimopoulos.
Mr Nikolaos Thomaidis, Dean at the School of Agricultural Development, Nutrition, and Sustainability and Professor of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, NKUA, presented at length the scientific work and personality of the honoree.
Professor Evriklia Lianidou, Chair at the Department of Chemistry, School of Science, read the Department’s Resolution, the Award, and the Honorary Diploma, and Professor Ioannis Emmanouil, Dean at the School of Science, invested the honoree with the gown of the School.
The ceremony was livestreamed at https://youtu.be/4mra6Zu-gPM
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