Michael Cunningham

Michael Cunningham is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University, holding cross appointments in the Department of Chemistry and the Beaty Water Research Centre. His research focuses on sustainable materials, environmental impacts of polymer production, and water-based processes as alternatives to organic solvents. He leads initiatives in developing CO2-responsive polymers, renewable polymer composites, and eco-friendly coatings.

Dr. Cunningham earned B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Queen’s University and a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo. He has over 200 peer-reviewed publications and 30 patents, including 26 from his tenure at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada.

His awards include the Queen’s Research Excellence Prize and the 125th Anniversary Engineering Excellence Award. Current supervision includes postdoctoral fellow Maedeh Ramezani. Research groups involve collaborations in green chemistry and polymer engineering, with applications in water treatment and sustainable manufacturing.