Dr. Geoffrey Cordell, Professor Emeritus UIC in Pharmaceutical Sciences, will continue discussing sustainability from plant-based products.

Dr Cordell has been retired from full-time teaching and research for a while. His major area of research was patient-focused medical treatments. However, he still consults with researchers, collaborates with project initiators, and helps identify partners. He focuses on developing products where sustainability is considered from the beginning of the process. He currently uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to analyze previous research to provide a starting point for new investigations. He pointed out that research is always collaborative.

 

Natural products are the basis of almost everything that we use for shelter, clothing, and prescription medicines. Our history, present, and future depend on plants. So we must ensure plants stay around. Many factors can cause changes because the environment changes. For example, there was a drought in Vietnam that caused growers to switch from coffee to durian fruit. This led to a worldwide shortage of coffee and rising prices.