John is one of the founders of the field of green chemistry. He wrote the book that provides the definition and 12 principles of green chemistry with Paul Anastas in 1998. As an industrial chemist, has over 350 patents, has worked with hundreds of companies worldwide, and serves on the sustainability advisory boards of several multinational companies. As an academic, he was a tenured full professor of chemistry and a tenured full professor of plastics engineering at UMASS, where he started the world’s first PhD program in Green Chemistry, has over 120 publications in synthetic methodologies, noncovalent derivatization, polymer photochemistry, and metal oxide semiconductors. John is also an entrepreneur whose inventions have led to the founding of many companies in photovoltaics, neurochemistry, construction materials, water harvesting, and cosmetics.

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John was named one of “25 Visionaries Changing the World” by Utne Reader and “One of the Most Influential People in the Chemical Industries” by ICIS, and he holds several academic appointments at different universities worldwide. Currently, he is serving as president and CEO of The Technology Greenhouse.​​