Dr. Canney earned his B.S. in Pharmacy (1979) and Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry (1986) from Temple University School of Pharmacy, where he was inducted into the Rho Chi Honor Society.

After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine focused on anticonvulsant drug development, he held a research faculty position at the University of Pennsylvania, working on imaging agents for SPECT studies.

In 1993, he returned to Temple as an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry and has since held several leadership roles, including director of graduate studies (2002–2020), chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department (2011–2017), and interim director of the Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research (2020–2022). He currently serves as assistant dean of graduate programs for non-thesis master’s degrees and certificates. He has mentored numerous M.S. and Ph.D. students.

An award-winning educator, Dr. Canney was named Teacher of the Year in 1998, and received the Rho Chi Honor Society, Faculty Advisor Award, in 2024. Dr. Canney’s research has been funded through grants from the NIH (NIDDK, NIDA) and foundations (CCFA). His research focuses on structure–activity relationships and drug development. He contributes extensively to academic and professional service.