CoRE is led by the University at Buffalo Department of Materials Design and Innovation, working in collaboration with Clean Production Action and Niagara Share. Our team includes world-renowned material scientists and researchers, as well as thought leaders who have partnered with major corporations and governments (including Apple, Walmart, the European Union and the State of California) in addition to small, local businesses and community organizations.
University at Buffalo (UB); Department of Materials Design and Innovation (MDI)
MDI is one of the only organizations in the world to combine a focus on materials innovation with the use of information and data science, allowing them to significantly accelerate the design and discovery of new materials and processes used in regenerative manufacturing. By emphasizing the importance of forging critical partnerships, MDI helps ensure that their research has the greatest impact on areas such as community health, climate change and energy sustainability. The interdisciplinary department is part of UB — a premier, research-intensive public university dedicated to academic excellence.
Krishna Rajan, Principal Investigator, MDI
Krishna Rajan, PhD, is MDI’s inaugural Erich Bloch Endowed Chair, and a leading proponent in the field of materials informatics. His research is centered on the application of information science and data-intensive methodologies for the discovery, characterization and modeling of materials. He is a leader in the fields of computational studies, and advancing quantitative methods for the interpretation of nanoscale chemical imaging techniques.
Chitra Rajan, Associate Vice President for Research Advancement, UB
Chitra Rajan, PhD, has extensive experience as a senior academic administrator, including supervising UB’s Office of Research Advancement. Her role in CoRE includes helping to develop multi-sector partnerships, promoting community engagement, and scaling successful pilot programs.
Clean Production Action
Clean Production Action promotes safer materials by collaborating with leading organizations and businesses worldwide. Their tools include the Chemical Footprint Project (the first initiative of its kind to benchmark corporations on their overall chemical management performance), as well as the GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals — the gold standard in hazard assessment.
> Learn more about Clean Production Action
Mark Rossi, Executive Director
Mark Rossi is the founder of BizNGO (a collaboration of organizations that work together to advance safer chemicals and sustainable materials), and the author of numerous articles, reports and blogs on advancing safer alternatives to toxic chemicals — including the United Nations Environment Program’s report, The Business Case for Knowing Chemicals in Products and Supply Chains.
Change Agents
Change Agents are individuals who provide expertise in specific focus areas, helping us achieve our goals.
Niagara Share
Niagara Share focuses on creating cross-sector partnerships to formulate new ideas and policies, while working to strengthen organizations that have a shared interest in caring for our planet — and our communities. As a connector and catalyst, Niagara Share works with leaders in the private and public sectors to represent the needs and interests of frontline industrial communities.
> Learn more about Niagara Share
Alexandra McPherson, Principal
Alexandra McPherson has spent more than 20 years leading innovative environmental initiatives that leverage the collective creativity of communities and industries. Her experience includes launching Clean Production Action, serving on the national advisory board of EPEAT (the largest green electronic product registry in the world), and co-authoring a precedent-setting, widely-covered research report on companies that are moving away from chemicals that can lead to health and environmental issues.
Financial support for CoRE is provided by the JPB Foundation, an organization that strives to enhance the quality of life in the United States through transformational initiatives that promote the health of our communities.