Alexandre Sicard Email & Phone Number

From the early days of freshman year, organic chemistry students are taught that fluorine is a consummate chemical outlier, bucking the trends of its downstairs neighbors in the periodic table in ways that never cease to perplex and amaze. Since sitting in that very freshman classroom myself, I have been captivated by the question of how to harness what has frequently been termed the 'savage beast of elements' in service of the raison d'être of applied chemistry: to steadily and broadly make our material world better in ways both seen and unseen.Reliable power grids, life-saving medications, and lithium-ion batteries are just a few bright stars in the constellation of innovations in some way indebted to fluorine chemistry, not to mention the monumental impact of being able to electrically conjure up the cold on demand using fluorinated refrigerants—the subdomain of the chemical industry which has framed my own academic career.The spear of scientific progress has always been kept sharp by a lively discourse, and in light of a recent worldwide growth in the influence of policymaking, particularly where fluorinated materials are concerned, I strongly believe that effective communication beyond the confines of scientific peer groups has become an ever more vital responsibility for applied chemists and the organizations who employ them. In this spirit, I eagerly welcome any opportunity to engage with interested parties of all backgrounds about problems of the day, and how fluorine chemistry can be part of the solution.