Joe Schwarcz PhD - Director

Dr. Joe Schwarcz is Director of McGill University’s “Office for Science and Society” which has the mission of separating sense from nonsense. He is well known for his informative and entertaining public lectures on topics ranging from the chemistry of food to the connection between the body and the mind. Recently the Office has focused on trying to unravel the mysteries of COVID-19.

Professor Schwarcz has received numerous awards for teaching chemistry and for interpreting science for the public and was the first non-American ever to win the American Chemical Society’s prestigious Grady-Stack Award for demystifying chemistry. He was awarded the 2010 “Montreal Medal” which is the Canadian Chemical Institute’s premier prize recognizing lifetime contributions to chemistry in Canada. In 2015 he was named winner of the Balles Prize for critical thinking by the US based Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. In 2018 he was the recipient of McGill University’s “Principal’s Prize for Public Engagement Through Media.” He has also been awarded honorary degrees by Athabasca University, Cape Breton University, the University of Windsor, and Simon Fraser University.

Professor Schwarcz hosts "The Dr. Joe Show" on Montreal's CJAD and has appeared hundreds of times on The Discovery Channel, CTV, CBC, TV Ontario and Global Television. He also writes a newspaper column entitled “The Right Chemistry” and has authored eighteen books including “Radar, Hula Hoops and Playful Pigs,” “The Genie in the Bottle,” "That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles," “Dr. Joe And What You Didn’t Know,” “The Fly In The Ointment” “Let Them Eat Flax” “An Apple A Day,” “Brain Fuel,” “Science, Sense and Nonsense,” “Dr. Joe’s Brain Sparks,” “Dr. Joe’s Health Lab,” “The Right Chemistry,” “Is That a Fact,” “Monkeys, Myths and Molecules,” “A Feast of Science,” and his most recent, “A Grain of Salt.” Professor Schwarcz also an amateur magician and often spices up his presentations with a little magic.

Press

"The Prism Podcast", Grant Ritchey and Clay Jones. June 2: https://bit.ly/2HkzsmC

"A Feast of Science" book review, Science-Based Medicine. May 22: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/a-feast-of-science/

"Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules: A Chemist Separates Fact from Fiction" book review, Science-Based Medicine. August 11: https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/monkeys-myths-and-molecules-a-chemist-separates-fact-from-fictio/ 

"Monkeys to Molecules: Joe Schwarcz dispels myths about science" on CBC's The Current; May 6 broadcast: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-6-2015-1.3062951/monkeys-to-molecules-joe-schwarcz-dispels-myths-about-science-1.3062999

The Social; May 11 broadcast: http://www.thesocial.ca/video?vid=611525 [segment begins at 2.35 mark]

Canada AM; May 11 broadcast: http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=611201&playlistId=1.2368324&binId=1.815911&playlistPageNum=1&binPageNum=1

Global TV; April 29 broadcast: http://globalnews.ca/video/1968169/demystifying-food-trends

The Agenda with Steve Paikin; April 27 broadcast: http://tvo.org/video/212783/last-roundup-debate

"Organic Cosmetics", first segment of a "Organic Panic", a 5-part documentary series on VisionTV; April 15 broadcast: http://www.visiontv.ca/video/organic-panic-e1-cosmetics-full-episode/ 

GAWKER.COM (mention), “The ‘Food Babe’ Blogger is Full of Shit”; http://gawker.com/the-food-babe-blogger-is-full-of-shit-1694902226

New York Times (mention), Courtney Rubin on The Food Babe; March 13, 2015: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/style/taking-on-the-food-industry-one-blog-post-at-a-time.html?_r=0

"Scientists question research on homeopathic treatment for ADHD" on CBC's The Current; March 5 broadcast: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-march-5-2015-1.2982500/scientists-question-research-on-homeopathic-treatment-for-adhd-1.2982505