Tomislav Friščić returns to McGill’s Department of Chemistry as an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada

Professor Tomislav Friščić will return to the Department of Chemistry as one of McGill University’s six inaugural Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada. 

Before joining the University of Birmingham in 2022, Friščić was a Chemistry professor at McGill for eleven years. His new appointment as the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair in Mechanochemistry and Solid-State Chemistry is part of the Government of Canada’s $1 billion Research Chairs program, a national initiative to attract top-tier researchers in areas of strategic priority to Canada. Friščić is expected to arrive at McGill in mid-2027. 

“I’m proud to welcome Professor Friščić back to McGill as an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada,” said Alanna Watt, Dean of the Faculty of Science. “His appointment as part of this historic program reflects the impact of his contributions to advancing green and sustainable chemistry in Canada and around the world.” 

After completing postdoctoral appointments at the Pfizer Institute for Pharmaceutical Materials Science and the University of Cambridge, Friščić first arrived at the Department of Chemistry as an Assistant Professor in 2011.  

Friščić’s research focuses on advancing the sustainable transformation of chemical manufacturing through mechanochemistry, which drives chemical reactions through mechanical force rather than using conventional solvent-based methods. By reducing our reliance on solvents, a major source of industrial waste around the world, Friščić and his research group are developing cleaner and more environmentally responsible alternatives to conventional chemical processes. 

Professor Gonzalo Cosa, Chair of the Department of Chemistry, described Friščić as an “exceptional” colleague and a “dedicated citizen” of his department, noting that Friščić frequently collaborated with his departmental colleagues on creative and innovative research solutions.  

Just a few of his frequent inter-departmental collaborations at McGill saw him work with Prof. Karine Auclair to advance enzyme-based plastic degradation, with Prof. Masad Damha to pioneer mechanochemical DNA synthesis, and with Prof. Audrey Moores to develop solvent-free synthetic methods for the sustainable production of nanoparticles.  

During his time at McGill, Friščić was named a William Dawson Scholar in 2015 and appointed a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Mechanochemistry and Solid-State Chemistry in 2021. In 2022, he was awarded the prestigious NSERC John C. Polanyi Award, which recognizes researchers whose work has led to a recent outstanding advance in the natural sciences or engineering.  

Later that year, Friščić left McGill to begin a new chapter at the University of Birmingham as the Leverhulme International Professor in Green and Sustainable Chemistry.  

Despite this new position across the Atlantic, Friščić never fully left McGill’s Chemistry department behind. He kept in close contact with his former department, and for the past four Decembers, he returned to McGill for PhD defences.  

“It became a bit of a staple to see Tomislav back for the holiday season,” said Cosa, who’s served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry since 2024. 

When the Canadian government announced the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada program last year, Cosa was hopeful that this could be an opportunity to see a beloved colleague return to the department. 

The Faculty of Science adopted what Cosa described as a “grassroots” approach to identify candidates for the new program. Departments were encouraged to use the process as an opportunity to come together, envision what they wanted their future to look like, and consider how an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair could help shape that future. 

For the Department of Chemistry, Friščić was a clear choice not only due to his existing ties to department, but also due to his exceptional ability to mobilize industry.  

During his time at the University of Birmingham, Friščić has only deepened his engagement with industry partners in the pharmaceutical, mining, metals and advanced materials sectors and further established himself as a global leader in green and sustainable chemistry.  

Friščić will also join McGill’s new Sustainability Park, where he’ll continue innovating greener and more efficient chemical processes.  

It's a fitting homecoming for Friščić to be part of the Park’s transformative, institution-wide sustainability initiative. Cosa notes that the arrival of Friščić and other departmental colleagues in the 2000s helped consolidate a period of growth in green and sustainable chemistry that had begun before the turn of the century. 

“When he first joined us in 2011, Tomislav and other colleagues hired around the same time built on years of momentum and accelerated our department’s capacity to be at the forefront of this research,” said Cosa.  

Over eleven years later, Friščić returns at an even more critical juncture in McGill’s sustainability history, allowing him to expand his impact at McGill far beyond his department and the University. 

“Today, this focus on sustainability extends across the University through the Sustainability Park,” Cosa said. “As an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair, Tomislav will continue to strengthen our leadership in sustainability research during this exciting new chapter in McGill’s history.”