Title: Green Chemistry and the Biorefinery 

Speaker: Prof. James Clark 

Time&Date: 10:00am, 11 April, 2014 

Place: Meeting Room 214 

Host: Prof. MU Xindong  

Prof. James Clark:

BSc (1972) and PhD (1975) in Chemistry from Kings College, London. Following postdoctoral research in Brock, Canada and Exeter, UK; appointed to a Lectureship in Chemistry at the University of York in 1979 and on to a personal Chair in 1994. Appointed Director Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence 2006. The GCCE is a world-leading research, education and networking institution that specialises in the development and application of green chemical technologies with special interest in exploiting the chemical potential of biomass. James Clark is internationally known for his work on green chemistry and has led and championed the green chemistry movement in the last decade. He was founding editor for the world’s premier journal, “Green Chemistry”, started the world’s largest private membership network, the Green Chemistry Network and established the first Green Chemistry Centre of 

Excellence for research and education in the world (which includes the world’s first Masters course in the area on Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology and the first to be accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry). He leads a team of about 80 postgraduate researchers, academic, scientific and support staff with a current grants portfolio of over ￡10M with grants from the EU, G8, EPSRC and BBSRC, industry, ERDF, DEFRA and TSB. He recently cofounded the Biorenewables Development Centre and Starbon Technologies Ltd. He has published over 450 research articles, filed over 20 patent applications and frequently appeared in the media worldwide. Professor Clark has represented chemistry NGOs for 5 years as a member of DEFRAs Chemical Stakeholders Forum, and for 4 years as a member of the EU Bio-based Standards Technical Committee; he advises numerous organisations including the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.