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John De Backere
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
University of Toronto, St. George Campus
Bio
Dr. John De Backere (he/him) joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto, Canada as an Assistant Professor in the Teaching Stream in 2019. Prior to this, he completed one year as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Toronto focusing on highly electrophilic main-group sulfur and phosphorous cationic species. John completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario where his doctoral work focused on the challenging area of fundamental Inorganic fluorine and noble-gas chemistry.
His research interests are centered around the fields of Inorganic chemistry and chemistry education, in particular aspects of laboratory instruction including incorporating green chemistry and sustainability practices, course based research experiences, as well as interests in developing/incorporating innovative learning technologies.
Fun Facts - I love escaping from to city to connect with nature; anything from taking my dog (he’s a black “Whoodle” which is a mix between a Wheaten Terrier and Poodle) on local hikes through forests up to more ambitious adventures in Yosemite National Park or back-country canoe camping in Algonquin Provincial Park. I also enjoy doing the majority of cooking in my household, which includes making a mean carbonara and delicious slow-cooked ribs (I have yet to tweet my culinary adventures on #chemistswhocook).
His research interests are centered around the fields of Inorganic chemistry and chemistry education, in particular aspects of laboratory instruction including incorporating green chemistry and sustainability practices, course based research experiences, as well as interests in developing/incorporating innovative learning technologies.
Fun Facts - I love escaping from to city to connect with nature; anything from taking my dog (he’s a black “Whoodle” which is a mix between a Wheaten Terrier and Poodle) on local hikes through forests up to more ambitious adventures in Yosemite National Park or back-country canoe camping in Algonquin Provincial Park. I also enjoy doing the majority of cooking in my household, which includes making a mean carbonara and delicious slow-cooked ribs (I have yet to tweet my culinary adventures on #chemistswhocook).
About
GCTLC Roles
- Learning Object Peer Reviewers
- Forum Moderators
Beyond Benign Roles
- GCC Champion
- Educational Content Developer
Languages
- English
Keywords Tags/Expertise
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Teaching-Undergraduate
- Chemistry Education Research
Ongoing Projects
2020-2022 Greener Laboratory Faculty Fellow, Beyond Benign
- Led workgroup of ~15 faculty members in developing "greener" teaching resources for Inorg. & Gen. Chem. undergraduate laboratories
Contributions
Resources that the user is listed as a contributor
Submissions
Resources that the user has submitted to the GCTLC
My Groups
| Group Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Greener Inorganic Chemistry | This is a group dedicated to GCTLC users interested in green inorganic chemistry (including lectures... |
Open / Public |
| Greener Introductory/General Chemistry | This is a group dedicated to GCTLC users interested in greening the introductory/general chemistry... |
Open / Public |
| Canadian Societies for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering 2026 Conferences and Exhibition (x2026) Network | This is a space for conference attendees and symposium organizers to: |
Open / Public |
My Job Postings
No published jobs available at this time.
This section displays this user's live job postings. Once they publish a job, it will appear here for others to view.
This section displays this user's live job postings. Once they publish a job, it will appear here for others to view.
My Events
No published events available at this time.
This section displays this user's live event postings. Once they publish an event, it will appear here for others to view.
This section displays this user's live event postings. Once they publish an event, it will appear here for others to view.
Recent Activity
- John De Backere was just tagged in a comment: Hi Michelle, thanks and yes, you could certainly join a bit late! There is greater benefit to attending the full workshop, but it is not absolutely necessary. The first 15 min will be intros and icebreakers, and then 8:15-9:15 will be an intro to GC principles and theory as well as overview of accreditation guidelines. I'd recommend registering anyway just to get your name on the list (it helps us know who's coming and sense of numbers), but please do swing by once you're free. We put a cap of 60 people as we weren't sure how much space we'd have, but from the MTCC website I think we can accommodate just over 100 people in the room so there'll be lots of space. Curious to hear from my co-organizers as well @Monica Soma Hensley @David Laviska @Barb Morra @kylie.luska @John De Backere....
- John De Backere was just tagged in a comment: @John De Backere resent the invite! :)...
- John De Backere was just tagged in a comment: Since we are approaching the end of the semester, I am wondering if anyone is willing to share any example or two of how they (or their institution) is assessing green chemistry in their courses? I am hoping those who are associated with GCC institutions could share their experiences with assessment to inspire and motivate others:) I am also curious if assessment is primarily formative, summative or a mix of both.I am tagging a few educational content developers associated with the GCC program.University of Toronto: @John De Backere Gordon College: @Liza Abraham University of Pittsburgh: @Nesta Bortey-Sam Florida Southern College: @Deborah Bromfield Lee Bradly University: @Dean Campbell Kingsborough Community College: @Hun Bok Jung Stella and Charles Guttman Community College: @Ji Kim Grand Valley State University: @Dalila Kovacs Pingree School: @Irv Levy University of Toledo: @Mark R Mason South Dakota State University: @Sara K Madsen Fashion Institute of Technology: @Julian Silverman Georgia Gwinnett College: @cmwoodbridge ...
- John De Backere was just tagged in a comment: Tagging @John Warner , @John De Backere, @Stefanie Loomis, @Annette Sebuyira, @Raks Derival to see if any of you may be interested in this opportunity or have any connections to others that might be interested. ...
- John De Backere was just tagged in a comment: Great question, @Kyle Grice, and thanks @John De Backere for pointing out the lack of clear assessments on this! It seems like we have bits and pieces (like atom economy, toxicity, and waste profiles) but not a comprehensive "green ranking" of strong or Lewis acids. Has anyone here come across frameworks or papers that attempt to evaluate acids systematically (maybe using the 12 Principles or GreenScreen)? Or do you have practical experience swapping in "greener" acids in teaching labs or research? Tagging in @Jason Cooke and @Mark R Mason (whom I believe have great research experience on this theme) — curious if you’ve seen resources or examples that could help shed light here....
- John De Backere was just tagged in a comment: Exciting!!! Hope that goes through, fingers crossed! 😍 I know @John De Backere and the crew at University of Toronto have a focus in green chemistry for their chemistry majors. I know I would have loved that during my undergrad if it was available....
- John De Backere was just tagged in a comment: There has been a lot of work at University of Toronto with getting green chemistry into thier laboratory courses. @Barb Morra @John De Backere @Andy Dicks @Jessica D'eon @kylie.luska could you share what you have been doing at UofT in your gen chem labs?...
- John De Backere just published the new learning object The Synthesis of Zinc Copper Indium Sulfide Quantum Dots
- John De Backere just published the new learning object Learning Green Chemistry Principles by Comparing Three Synthetic Routes to a Copper-NHC (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) Complex
- John De Backere just published the new learning object Learning Green Chemistry Principles by Comparing Three Synthetic Routes to a Copper-NHC (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) Complex