Dr. Canniff grew up in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and spent most of his younger years there and in the surrounding towns. He attended Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, before earning his B.S. in biochemistry at the University of Chicago. At UChicago, Dr. Canniff worked in the structural biology lab of Professor Engin Özkan, studying the structure and development of neurons.
After his undergraduate studies, Dr. Canniff joined the science faculty at Middlesex School teaching chemistry and coaching football, wrestling and track and field. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology under Professor Daniel Hebert at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where his thesis focused on the characterization of a novel chaperone protein within the secretory system of the cell.
After earning his doctorate, Dr. Canniff worked as an industry scientist at Waters Corporation where he was responsible for spearheading new avenues of biological separations that resulted in multiple patents and commercial products. Dr. Canniff returns to teaching as a member of the St. Paul’s science faculty, where he once again teaches chemistry and coaches. He lives on the School grounds with his fiancée.