John C. Warner, PhD – Founder, Inventor, Leader

John C. Warner, PhD, is the CEO and CTO of Technology Greenhouse, LLC and one of the world’s most respected leaders in green chemistry. With a career that spans over three decades in industry, academia, and entrepreneurship, John is widely recognized as a co-founder of the green chemistry movement. He is the coauthor, alongside Paul Anastas, of the seminal book Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice, which defined the field and introduced the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry now adopted by scientists and institutions globally.

John received his BS in Chemistry from UMASS Boston and his PhD in Organic Chemistry from Princeton University. He began his career at Polaroid Corporation, where he spent nearly a decade developing new materials and technologies, including photo and imaging systems. His time at Polaroid shaped his belief that chemistry could — and should — be designed to prevent harm rather than manage it after the fact.

In 2007, he co-founded the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry with Jim Babcock, a research institute focused on sustainable product innovation. That same year, he also co-founded Beyond Benign, a nonprofit dedicated to green chemistry education and outreach, with Dr. Amy Cannon. His academic career includes 12 years as a tenured full professor of chemistry and plastics engineering at the University of Massachusetts system, where he created the world’s first PhD program in Green Chemistry in 2000.

John’s contributions extend beyond research and education — he is a prolific inventor with over 360 patents and co-founder of at least 10 companies that span a wide range of sectors, including:

  •  Collaborative Medicinal Development – ALS drug now in Phase 3 clinical trials

  •  Hairprint – A nontoxic, food-grade hair color restoration product 

  •   Collaborative Aggregates – Sustainable asphalt binders

  •   Ambient Photonics – Indoor photovoltaics powered by ambient light 

  •   Noir Materials – High-performance biodegradable polymers

  •   Lucciola Technologies – High-volume flow photochemistry

  •   Mistminer – Photochromic water absorption/desorption technology

  •   Coformer.ai – AI-enhanced pharmaceutical formulation (stealth mode)

His research specialties include noncovalent derivatization, polymer photochemistry, synthetic methodologies, and metal oxide semiconductors, all of which inform his unique approach to “entropic control in molecular design.”

John has received numerous national and international honors, including:

•  The Perkin Medal (2014), the highest honor in American industrial chemistry 

•  The Lemelson Invention Ambassadorship (2016) from AAAS and the Lemelson Foundation 

•  The August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal (2022) from the German Chemical Society 

•  The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring (2004) from the NSF and President George W. Bush 

•   Named one of “25 Visionaries Changing the World” by Utne Reader 

•   Named one of “The Most Influential People in the Chemical Industries” by ICI – Science 

His global academic appointments include: 

•  Monash University – Distinguished Professor of Green Chemistry (Australia) 

•  Technical University of Berlin (Germany) 

•  Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) 

•  Somaiya University (India) 

•  University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) 

•  Rochester Institute of Technology (United States) 

In 2019, John was elected a full member of the Club of Rome, a global think tank focused on sustainability and human development. In recognition of his global impact, the John Warner Center for Startups in Green Chemistry was established in Berlin, Germany — a rare and meaningful honor.

He has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, including contributions to journals such as Nature, Molecules, and ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. His work spans disciplines but remains rooted in one goal: creating solutions that are functionally superior, economically viable, and environmentally benign.

Today, at Technology Greenhouse, John continues to lead cutting-edge research and partnerships that bring green chemistry out of the lab and into everyday products. His focus remains on helping companies design out toxicity, reduce environmental impact, and turn sustainability into a core design principle — not an afterthought.