Joel Tickner

Joel Tickner is a Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), affiliated with the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences. He leads the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and co-directs the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute. His work focuses on environmental health, chemicals policy, pollution prevention, and safer alternatives assessment. Tickner is a founding executive director of the Association for the Advancement of Alternatives Assessment and co-founded the Green Chemistry and Commerce Council (GC3), a network of over 120 companies advancing green chemistry.

Education: PhD in Work Environment (2000) and MS in Environmental Studies (1993) from UML, and a BA in Spanish with an Environmental Science concentration from Colby College (1989).

Research Interests: Development of innovative methods and policies to implement precautionary and preventive approaches to environmental decision-making. Key areas include chemicals policy reform, risk assessment, cleaner production, and advancing safer chemical substitutes. His work bridges academia, industry, and policy, emphasizing collaboration across sectors.

Articles focus on alternatives assessment frameworks, green chemistry adoption, and policy impacts, particularly addressing PFAS, AFFF, and other toxic substances. Recent work highlights the need for sustainable chemistry roadmaps and systemic industry shifts.

• Awards: Over 10 awards including the Pioneer of Precaution Award (2006), Policy Leader (2008), and multiple teaching and service recognitions.
• Grants & Leadership: Led projects on safer chemicals adoption, funded by NIH, industry partnerships, and foundations. Authored over 100 publications and served on global policy initiatives like the EU’s Sustainable Chemicals Management conferences.
• Labs & Teams: Directs the Toxics Use Reduction Institute and collaborates with GC3 to drive corporate innovation in green chemistry.