Towards a Sustainable Future: Challenges and Opportunities for Early-Career Chemists

Dobbelaar E 1 , Goher SS 2 , Vidal JL 3 , Obhi NK 3 , Felisilda BMB 4 , Choo YSL 5 Show all authors , Ismail H 6 , Lee HL 7 , Nascimento V 8 , Al Bakain R 9 , Ranasinghe M 10 , Davids BL 11 , Naim A 12 , Offiong NA 13 , Borges J 14 , John T 15

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Chemistry, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität (RPTU) Kaiserslautern-Landau, Erwin-Schrödinger-Str. 52-54, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
  • 2 Nanotechnology Research Centre (NTRC), The British University in Egypt (BUE), Cairo, 1183, Egypt
  • 3 Beyond Benign, Wilmington, MA 01887, USA
  • 4 Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, Warsaw, Poland
  • 5 School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, 43900, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • 6 Dow Inc., Dow Egypt Services Limited, Katameya Heights Business Centre -, Office G01, Fifth Settlement, New Cairo, Egypt
  • 7 School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, 11800, Penang, Malaysia
  • 8 SupraSelen Laboratory, Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Campus do Valonguinho, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, 24020-141, Brazil
  • 9 Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan
  • 10 Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science, School of Natural Sciences-Chemistry, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia
  • 11 School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
  • 12 Department of Industrial Chemistry, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India
  • 13 Department of Chemical Sciences, Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Nigeria
  • 14 CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
  • 15 Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl, 2024 Aug 26;63(35):e202319892.
PMID: 39046086 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202319892

Abstract

The concepts of sustainability and sustainable chemistry have attracted increasing attention in recent years, being of great importance to the younger generation. In this Viewpoint Article, we share how early-career chemists can contribute to the sustainable transformation of their discipline. We identify ways in which they can engage to catalyse action for change. This article does not attempt to answer questions about the most promising or pressing areas driving research and chemical innovation in the context of sustainability. Instead, we want to inspire and engage early-career chemists in pursuing sustainable actions by showcasing opportunities in education, outreach and policymaking, research culture and publishing, while highlighting existing challenges and the complexity of the topic. We want to empower early-career chemists by providing resources and ideas for engagement for a sustainable future globally. While the article focuses on students and early-career chemists, it provides insights to further stimulate the engagement of scientists from diverse backgrounds.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

MeSH terms
Similar publications