Paul Anastas, a Yale professor and pioneer in the field of green chemistry, has been awarded the 2015 Emanuel Merck Lectureship, an international award that recognizes scientists who have made significant contributions to chemical and pharmaceutical research.
Anastas, the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Chair for Chemistry and the Environment, is often called the “father of green chemistry,” a growing field that promotes the design of products and processes that minimize environmental impacts and hazardous outcomes.
He holds joints appointments with the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES), the Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Chemical Engineering. He is also director of the
Yale Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering.
The €10,000 Merck prize was awarded on May 11 at the Technical University (TU) Darmstadt, in Germany, where Anastas presented a special public lecture on the origins and future of green chemistry.