A first-generation university student who completed her PhD this spring has become a green chemistry leader during her time at Memorial.
Under the supervision of Dr. Francesca Kerton, Sarah Boudreau joined the Green Chemistry and Catalysis Group at Memorial to focus on research around sustainable chemical synthesis, carbon dioxide utilization and renewable materials.
Joining the research team in September 2021, Ms. Bourdeau now conducts research in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, helping transform by-products from the salmon processing industry into more valuable products, so that less waste ends up in landfills and the industry can increase its overall profit.
Academic journey
Throughout her undergraduate program at Cape Breton University, Ms. Boudreau became fascinated with chemistry. She worked with natural products as a research assistant for a number of years.
“While completing research on the potential of using natural products for medicinal purposes as an undergrad, I was inspired to keep studying how other natural products could be used for day-to-day use to help achieve a more sustainable society,” she said.
As a Memorial University doctoral student, she continued to pursue this line of research.
Throughout her doctoral program, she visited the National Research Council of Canada laboratory in Montreal, Que., to scale up her experiments and worked alongside the Aquatic Crop and Resource Development Team, then led by Dr. Edmond Lam.
She has published three first-author publications since 2022 and contributed to several blog-style communications for chemistry journals, following her passion for science communication and translating complex topics into more understandable stories.
Ms. Boudreau has been awarded several scholarships, notably the Ocean Graduate Excellence Network scholarship from the Ocean Frontier Institute, the Joseph Breen Memorial Fellowship from the American Chemical Society and is a fellow of the School of Graduate Studies at Memorial.
The scholarships allowed her to travel across Canada and throughout the U.S. to present her research, where she received numerous presentation awards.
Green chemistry
Outside of the lab, Ms. Bourdeau has become a leader in the green chemistry community among young scientists.
That passion led to her selection for the Green and Sustainable Chemistry Summer School in Burlington, Vermont, in the summer of 2025, hosted by the American Chemical Society.
Since joining Prof. Kerton’s research team, Ms. Bourdeau has also organized several symposium-style events, including the 2025 Global Conversation on Sustainability hosted by the International Younger Chemists Network.
She also acted as an ambassador for Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Connections.
“Being able to attend and lead international events to promote green chemistry and sustainability has been a defining moment of my PhD program,” she said. “Green chemistry has the potential to make a real difference not only on an international level, but it can also be used locally to positively impact communities.”
Making Memorial better
Ms. Bourdeau has also endeavoured to support Memorial’s students with her volunteer efforts.
With a strong commitment to our university and broader communities, she has been the president of the Memorial Thrift Store since February 2025, a sustainable initiative that diverts unwanted clothing away from landfills.
In 2025 and 2026, Ms. Bourdeau helped plan a fundraising event on the St. John’s campus that raised thousands of dollars for the Memorial University Campus Food Bank.
“Not only are these sustainable initiatives that are inspired by green chemistry topics I learned throughout the last five years, but they also really help people from the community who are struggling to find affordable items,” she said.
Future plans
From the French Acadian town Petit-de-Grat, Cape Breton, N.S., to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ms. Bourdeau’s plans will no doubt bring her to new places.
Having finished her PhD thesis, Ms. Bourdeau plans to pursue her passion for science communication and to create her own website to summarize Canadian chemistry news to make it more accessible to the general public.
She is also hoping to continue her academic journey, exploring post-doctoral opportunities in Atlantic Canada before beginning her own research on natural product extractions from items we often view as waste.
“Memorial has really shaped me for these upcoming future endeavours by providing funding opportunities to travel across Canada and the U.S. to present my own research and develop my science communication skills.”
She will walk across the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre stage during her convocation ceremony on Wednesday, May 27, at 7 p.m.
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