PhD student looking to learn more about safer chemical design

[laurahoch]

I had the chance to sit in on a great session on Designing Safer Chemicals at the GC&E conference last week. There was a lot of discussion about how chemists and engineers need to collaborate with toxicologists early on in the design process to ensure a new chemical/product will be safe to use.

What are some good resources for students looking to learn more about how toxicology can be used to guide chemical research? Are there any available training programs/courses where students can gain practical experience in safer chemical design?

[saskiavb]

I would recommend the online certificate in Green Chemistry & Chemical Stewardship from  University of Washington's Professional & Continuing Education program that is starting this fall.  It will be a 9 month program with three courses.  The curriculum will cover toxicology and safer chemical design. 

If you wanted something less in depth but partially hands on, this past year, Northwest Green Chemistry and MoDRN put on a two day workshop on this topic.  If they put on another workshop, you might want to check it out.

[kel4s]

Hello Laura,

Safer Chemical Design and the nexus between chemistry and toxicology is an interesting (and important) topic which is gaining momentum among professionals and also students and teachers. Did you get a chance to check out MoDRN’s website? There are more and more resources for different audiences including undergraduate/graduate students on the website. Just last week, MoDRN released 8 videos of Paul Anastas explaining why green chemistry is important. Upcoming videos will concentrate on toxicology and designing chemicals for reduced toxicity.

I’d also recommend the MoDRN: U modules (coming soon), which explain MoDRN related concepts and provide a short assignment to test your skills!