Buffalo, NY - Jared Paul ’00 recently wrote an editorial for an international research journal in inorganic chemistry in which he paid tribute to Mariusz M. Kozik, PhD, chair of the Chemistry/Biochemistry Department at Canisius.
“As a sophomore undergraduate student, I initially turned down a chance to do research in chemistry over a summer at Canisius,” Paul recalls. “Dr. Kozik called me into his office and suggested that I did not understand the opportunity I had been given. I did research that summer and it was truly a life-changing experience.”
Paul switched from studying chemical engineering and became heavily involved in research in inorganic chemistry, working on issues such as carbon dioxide reduction. He went on to earn his PhD in inorganic chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Williamsville native currently teaches chemistry at Villanova University and is also the former co-director of Villanova Center for Energy and Environmental Education.
He continues to do extensive research, particularly in the areas of artificial photosynthesis and light-activated anti-cancer drugs. Last year, he was granted a U.S. patent on these types of drugs currently under development.
Paul is also known in academic circles as a proponent of teaching sustainability to chemistry students and the general public – focusing on products and processes that minimize the use and generation of hazardous materials.
