US government charges MIT engineering professor

Via WBUR, this news about an MIT professor:

An MIT professor was arrested Thursday morning on federal charges that he failed to disclose ties to the Chinese government as he sought — and was awarded — research grants from the U.S. government.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said its charges against Gang Chen — paired with similar charges filed last summer against Harvard chemistry professor Charles Lieber — represent his office's attempt to counter the Chinese government's effort to "siphon off U.S. technology instead of doing the work themselves."

The charges focus on Chen's behavior since 2012, while he was running a laboratory focused on nanotechnology and energy transfer.

Chen served as chair of M.I.T.'s department of mechanical engineering from 2013 to 2018. Meanwhile, his laboratory attracted over $19 million in grants from federal agencies like the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy, according to the complaint.

Here's the full charging document; here's the press release. 

Pretty clear that the United States government is looking very carefully at business and financial ties of STEM professionals who work in both the US and China. It will be interesting to see if this continues to be a major thrust in the Biden Administration.* 

*A brief bit of political punditry: it's hard for me to imagine that the policy of a Clinton Justice Department would have been any different than that of the Trump Administration when it comes to this case, or that of Professor Lieber. 

ICIS: German chemical plants don't want to shut down for COVID lockdown

From ICIS: 

LONDON (ICIS)--Germany’s top chemical industry trade groups are rejecting calls to shut down plants as part of the country’s “hard lockdown” to contain the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

“A shutdown would be counter-productive, in all respects”, chemical producers group VCI and employers group BAVC said in a joint statement on Friday.

The chemical-pharmaceutical industry makes “key contributions” to containing the pandemic, the trade groups said,  in vaccine production, the manufacture of essential medicines or as the most important upstream supplier for diagnostics, medical, and laboratory equipment manufacturers.

As such, a shutdown would “considerably weaken” the fight against the coronavirus.

Furthermore, the closure of companies or plants could not be justified on an economic or commercial basis.

“Without chemical supplies, the entire industry and thus almost 30% of our economy would stand still”, they said.

Some German politicians have called for companies to increase “working from home”, and they urged to consider the closure of industrial plants in order to contain the virus.

I genuinely have a difficult time seeing a chemical plant (any chemical plant) as being a major speader of COVID, but I suspect that spread amongst operators and other employees happens in changing rooms and the like. 

Have a great weekend

 

Well, we made it to the weekend. I hope that your week was relatively stress-free and that you have a great Saturday and Sunday. See you on Monday. 

Tech leaving the Bay Area

Via the New York Times, a pretty interesting article about tech entrepreneurs leaving the Bay Area for elsewhere, with numbers to show for it: 

...The biggest tech companies aren’t going anywhere, and tech stocks are still soaring. Apple’s flying-saucer-shaped campus is not going to zoom away. Google is still absorbing ever more office space in San Jose and San Francisco. New founders are still coming to town.

But the migration from the Bay Area appears real. Residential rents in San Francisco are down 27 percent from a year ago, and the office vacancy rate has spiked to 16.7 percent, a number not seen in a decade.

Though prices had dropped only slightly, Zillow reported more homes for sale in San Francisco than a year ago. For more than a month last year, 90 percent of the searches involving San Francisco on moveBuddha were for people moving out.

Twitter, Yelp, Airbnb and Dropbox have tried to sublease some of their San Francisco office space. Pinterest, which has one of the most iconic offices in town, paid $90 million to break a lease for a site where it planned to expand. And companies like Twitter and Facebook have announced “work from home forever” plans...

I have long asserted that the Bay Area's dominance in the American life sciences space will continue unchecked, and it would take an epic natural disaster to change that. While I don't think the pandemic measures up, it certainly is doing its part to push people elsewhere. I still think that San Francisco will maintain its pre-eminence (1A to Boston's #1, IMO), but we shall see. 

It would be interesting to know who exactly is leaving, i.e. the people who were successful in tech entrepreneurship, or those who were not? 

Want to see some recent starting salaries?

From a recently hired entry-level PhD organic chemist (let's call them HQN), this helpful information: 

Small/med pharma - med chem, SF: was quoted at 110-120k typical base pay, plus relocation (amount unknown)

Small pharma Boston, med chem and process: 90-100k (medium confidence on this one, this is thru the grapevine for previous hires within past few years, but nothing current right now)

Large pharma companies, med chem or process positions, Boston, Philly, Bay Area, Chicago: 115-120k base for very competitive applicants. Offers also typically included some type of sign-on bonus (10k+), as well as relo. I know a few people that fell into this category, and they were really lucky because they had multiple offers in hand and let companies actively ‘bid’ against one another.

Before receiving offers, these individuals were quoted at “97-115k” for typical base salaries.

CMO, [redacted], process: (90k?)-100k base, plus very generous relocation. (100k base was my offer, but i got stuck in the “whoever goes first, loses” camp. I did get to name my price and they met it. Glassdoor said that the range was more like 80-90k, so I thought my ask was decent. Probably could have gotten more but alas… idk how much more I could have actually gotten anyway, and without another offer immediately in hand, I kinda felt I didn't have good leverage to ask for more now. I am assuming that 90k is actual low end of the range here, but not confident on that. 

Small pharma NJ, med chem: ~92k base, 5k signing bonus in lieu of relocation.

For context, I would suggest that those who are entertaining offers really consider relocation vs signing bonus (ideally, one could negotaite for both, but if foregoing relo, think VERY hard about the actual relocation costs associated). I've heard general murmurings that sometimes companies will forego relocation packages (something to do with setting a precedent for them? idk), in lieu of a sign on bonus. I had originally thought that the NJ offer was decent, but i turned it down just because it wasnt the right company for me. In hindsight, my current relo is lavish, and the 'signing bonus' from other company would have basically ONLY covered my lease break and nothing else. 

CMO, Boston suburbs, salary range quoted was around ~80-85k iirc. I had originally asked HR for 100-110, and they said that salary would be for someone 1-2 levels above entry level PhD - their rationale was “we’re in the suburbs so CoL is different” but that still struck me as low for the greater Boston metro area.

Thanks to HQN for their kind contribution! Readers, would you like to contribute? You can add in the comments, or e-mail me at chemjobber@gmail.com 

24 new positions at Organic Chemistry Jobs

Common Organic Chemistry is resolving some technical difficulties, but has ported over the list to Google Drive for now. There are 24 new positions for December 21.

Don't forget to check out the Common Organic Chemistry company list, a very helpful resource for organic chemists looking for potential employers.

Wednesday art: Vincent van Gogh, Factories at Clichy, 1887

Credit: St. Louis Art Museum

 

C&EN: DuPont to sell Chestnut Run laboratories

In this week's C&EN, this news from Craig Bettenhausen: 

DuPont has signed a letter of intent to sell its 74,000 m2 Chestnut Run lab campus in Wilmington, Delaware, to MRA Group, a science-focused real estate development firm. The companies did not disclose financial details.

DuPont will lease several lab buildings at the site from MRA, which plans to convert Chestnut Run into a tech hub emphasizing chemistry, life sciences, and advanced materials. DuPont will retain its adjacent office space, home of the firm’s corporate headquarters since it moved from downtown Wilmington in 2014...

...A former DuPont site in Wilmington is being redeveloped as Barley Mill Plaza, a 56,000 m2 mixed-use facility. DuPont says extensive restructuring in recent years has left it with empty labs and offices in Wilmington. The firm employed around 3,000 people in Delaware in 2020, down from 7,000 in late 2015, according to IndustryWeek.

It would be interesting to know how many of these research site conversions end up generating more and better jobs than the original site, in terms of the number of positions and the quality of the wages. I'm skeptical, but it would be great to see the numbers. 

The 2021 Faculty Jobs List: 248 research/teaching positions and 29 teaching faculty positions

 The 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 248 research/teaching positions and 29 teaching assistant professor positions.

Want to help out? Here's a Google Form to enter positions.

In 2020-2021, we will be adding teaching professor positions, targeting positions that demonstrate an intention to renew permanently, 3 year terms and a promotion ladder and/or are titled "assistant teaching professor" or "associate teaching professor." We are adding community college positions if they explicitly offer tenure.

On January 14, 2020, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 516 research/teaching positions and 51 teaching faculty positions.

To see trending, go to Andrew Spaeth's visualization of previous years' list.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Go to the third open thread. Click here for the second thread, which closed on December 22. Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread. 

Click here for the first open thread, which closed on November 11, 2020.

Postdoctoral position: organic synthesis, Trant Lab, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON

From the inbox: 

The Trant Lab at the University of Windsor is looking for a motivated postdoctoral fellow; the position is initially for 1-year and renewable indefinitely based on satisfactory  performance at $40,000/year. The candidate should have significant experience (from their  doctoral work, industrial career, or previous postdoctoral work) in multi-step small molecule  synthesis, medicinal chemistry, or process chemistry. Individuals from under-represented groups  are especially encouraged to apply. 

This includes ethnic, religious, sexual, disability, and gender  minorities as well as first-generation university students (those whose parents do not hold  university degrees). Individuals who have faced obstacles that have hindered their education and  productivity are encouraged to apply. We are looking for a good colleague with strong problem  solving and outstanding teamwork skills: a flashy CV full of top-journal publications is not  necessary, please do not self-select out. The position is expected to start as soon as filled.  

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested:  

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 51 positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List has 51 positions. It is curated by Lilian Josephson (@lljosephson).

From Dr. Josephson: This year we will try to utilize the list further by circulating among the professors, as well as using the hashtags #facultychemEjobs and #MeettheCandidatesChE2020.

The open thread is found here. 

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 91 positions

 The Academic Staff Jobs list has 91 positions.

This list is curated by Sarah Cady and @nmr_chemist. It targets:

• Full-time STAFF positions in a Chem/Biochem/ChemE lab/facility at an academic institution/natl lab
• Lab Coordinator positions for research groups or undergraduate labs 
• and for an institution in Canada or the United States

Want to help out? Here's a Google Form to enter positions.

Want to chat about staff scientist positions? Try the open thread.

BLS: Unemployment rate for November was 6.7%; payrolls fell 140000 positions

Credit: Calculated Risk

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that the national unemployment rate stayed at 6.7%, and
payrolls fell by 140000 positions in December.

The broader U6 measurement of unemployment was 11.7%, down from 12.1% in November.

The chemical manufacturing subsector saw a rise in positions from 835200 in November to 835800 in December, a rise of 600 positions (seasonally adjusted).

The unemployment rate of college graduates was 3.8% for December 2020, while by contrast the unemployment rate for people without a high school diploma was 9.8%.

Weird COVID-19 phantom smells (?)

I'm not someone possessed of a keen sense of smell, but I'm pleased to have it as a very crude means of determining whether or not I have caught COVID-19 (I have not yet, so far as I know.) The experience of those with COVID-19 related anosmia has been well-documented, but this New York Times article was fascinating: 

...Smell alerts the brain to the mundane, like dirty clothes, and the risky, like spoiled food. Without this form of detection, “people get anxious about things,” Dr. Dalton said.

Even worse, some Covid-19 survivors are tormented by phantom odors that are unpleasant and often noxious, like the smells of burning plastic, ammonia or feces, a distortion called parosmia.

Eric Reynolds, a 51-year-old probation officer in Santa Maria, Calif., lost his sense of smell when he contracted Covid-19 in April. Now, he said, he often perceives foul odors that he knows don’t exist. Diet drinks taste like dirt; soap and laundry detergent smell like stagnant water or ammonia.

“I can’t do dishes, it makes me gag,” Mr. Reynolds said. He’s also haunted by phantom smells of corn chips and a scent he calls “old lady perfume smell.”

Weird/fascinating how smell is related to our nervous system, and how the virus has altered it for some. I imagine we'll eventually get a handle on this, but it won't come soon enough... 

I wonder what the corn chips thing is about - olfactory nerve phantom pain? 

Have a good weekend

 

Well, we made it through another week. It's been a long one. I hope you have a good weekend. See you on Monday. 

NYT: Pandemic reverses skilled emigration for Italy

Via the New York Times: 

When Elena Parisi, an engineer, left Italy at age 22 to pursue a career in London five years ago, she joined the vast ranks of talented Italians escaping a sluggish job market and lack of opportunities at home to find work abroad.

But in the past year, as the coronavirus pandemic forced employees around the world to work from home, Ms. Parisi, like many of her compatriots, seized on the opportunity to really go home, to Italy.

In between Zoom meetings and her other work for a recycling company in London, she took long strolls on the beach near her family’s home in Palermo, Sicily, and talked recipes at dawn with vendors in the local market.

“The quality of life is a thousand, thousand times better here,” said Ms. Parisi, who is now in Rome.

I imagine that there are some chemists who may have been able to return home (wherever that may be) due to the pandemic, but how long will that last?  

Wednesday poem: There Will Come Soft Rains, Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,

And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,

And wild plum trees in tremulous white,

Robins will wear their feathery fire

Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one

Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree

If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,

Would scarcely know that we were gone.

From The Language of Spring, edited by Robert Atwan, published by Beacon Press, 2003.

Random questions during interviews

From along-time denizen of chemistry Twitter Anthony Maiorana comes a new newsletter, the Polymerist. This is a long and interesting post about good approaches to job hunting, and I agree with all of it. I found these questions pretty amusing: 

In every technical presentation I’ve given I have had to answer questions from the audience. In crafting your presentation you should know many of the logical questions. If you are really good you can lead the audience with what questions you want them to ask and have the answer on the next slide.

Sometimes you get asked ridiculous questions that have no bearing on what you are presenting about. This might happen during the presentation or it might happen during 1-on-1 interviews with team members or non-team members. An example might be:

• What is the density of water in lbs/gallons?
• You talked about viscosity on your last slide. Explain to me what viscosity is from a fundamental point of view.
• Can you give me the total synthesis of methyl methacrylate from crude oil?

I actually quite enjoy a good question from the audience, and I have had my job prospects sunk by a particularly good one (and one that I should have known!) The density of water question is kinda trivial-ish, but it's a good opportunity to answer trivia/think on one's feet/demonstrate the ability to calculate out loud (i.e. I know that it's 8 lbs per gallon, but you should be able to get there any number of different ways.) I also think it's fair to ask professor-ish questions about viscosity, but someone who asks about viscosity with the word "fundamental" is asking for math that I can't really do well (how do you calculate centipoise again?) 

Asking good questions in seminars is an art, and so is answering the questions, i.e. you need to stop, listen to the question, and engage the questioner as best as you can with your knowledge. It's not an easy skill to learn, and the only way to get better at it is to present one's work to an engaged audience (which is a non-trivial task itself...)

The 2021 Faculty Jobs List: 242 research/teaching positions and 27 teaching faculty positions

The 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 242 research/teaching positions and 27 teaching assistant professor positions.

Want to help out? Here's a Google Form to enter positions.

In 2020-2021, we will be adding teaching professor positions, targeting positions that demonstrate an intention to renew permanently, 3 year terms and a promotion ladder and/or are titled "assistant teaching professor" or "associate teaching professor." We are adding community college positions if they explicitly offer tenure.

On January 7, 2020, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 508 research/teaching positions and 49 teaching faculty positions.

To see trending, go to Andrew Spaeth's visualization of previous years' list.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Go to the third open thread. Click here for the second thread, which closed on December 22. Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread. 

Click here for the first open thread, which closed on November 11, 2020.

Postdoctoral position: medicinal chemistry, York University, Toronto, ON

From the inbox: 

We have two PDF positions in medicinal chemistry, immediate start 

The successful candidate will support an ongoing medicinal chemistry program by synthesizing small drug-like molecules in a hit-to-lead optimization campaign. 

Interested candidates will have a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry and a demonstrated record of problem-solving skills in the context of small molecule synthesis.

Responsibilities and skills:

• Synthesis, purification and characterization of drug like compounds
• Critical review of the chemical literature to solve synthetic challenges
• Preparation of weekly progress reports to support publications and patents
• Supervision and mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students

We offer a competitive post-doctoral salary and benefits. 

Interested applicants should contact professor Orellana by e-mail with a CV, detailed research summary and references.

Best wishes to those interested.  

Job posting: visiting assistant professorship, organic chemistry, Soka University of America, Aliso Viejo, CA

From the inbox: 

The Life Sciences concentration at Soka University of America (SUA) seeks to fill a full-time visiting assistant professorship in Organic Chemistry, beginning on August 16, 2021.This is a one-year position. The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to engage students in small classroom and laboratory settings. This position will support SUA’s new Concentration in Life Sciences housed in a new state-of the-art science teaching and research facility. 

The teaching responsibilities of this position include developing and teaching Organic Chemistry courses (I and II) and general education courses for non-science students. All courses should involve students via project-based and active learning approaches suitable for small class sizes. The teaching load per academic year is five courses. This individual will also be responsible for operating, maintaining, and training users on our new nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. We anticipate hiring a tenure-track Organic Chemistry professor in the next few years.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.  

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 48 positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List has 48 positions. It is curated by Lilian Josephson (@lljosephson).

From Dr. Josephson: This year we will try to utilize the list further by circulating among the professors, as well as using the hashtags #facultychemEjobs and #MeettheCandidatesChE2020.

The open thread is found here. 

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 88 positions

The Academic Staff Jobs list has 88 positions.

This list is curated by Sarah Cady and @nmr_chemist. It targets:

• Full-time STAFF positions in a Chem/Biochem/ChemE lab/facility at an academic institution/natl lab
• Lab Coordinator positions for research groups or undergraduate labs 
• and for an institution in Canada or the United States

Want to help out? Here's a Google Form to enter positions.

Want to chat about staff scientist positions? Try the open thread.

Bad times in petroleum engineering

Via the New York Times, this article: 

Sabrina Burns, a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, had thought she would be launching a lucrative career in the oil and gas industry when she graduated in a few months. But the collapse in the demand for oil and gas during the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted her well-laid plans and is forcing her to consider a new path.

“We got a slap in the face, an entirely unforeseen situation that rocked our entire mind-set,” said Ms. Burns, who is studying petroleum engineering. “I have applied for every oil and gas position I’ve seen, like all my classmates, and nothing really has turned up. I’m discouraged.”

With fewer people commuting and traveling, the oil and gas industry has taken a punishing blow. Oil companies have laid off more than 100,000 workers. Many businesses have closed refineries, and some have sought bankruptcy protection...

...Ms. Burns, 22, said her choices have narrowed considerably over the last nine months. With opportunities in oil and gas limited, she recently accepted an internship with an engineering consulting firm specializing in energy conservation, and she may eventually apply to graduate school in environmental science. She is also considering moving in with her sister after graduation to save money.

“I feel like companies are going to be pretty cautious about coming out of this, about taking new hires,” she said.

Ms. Burns was enticed into an oil and gas career by stories her father, a helicopter pilot, told her about the successful female engineers he had met servicing offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. But while her professors have talked up the future for oil and gas companies, she is worried.

This must be a near-historically-bad time to be an entry-level petroleum worker, i.e. there's the problem of the pandemic, and there are also cross-pressures in the broader energy industry. I'm a bit surprised that her professors didn't seem to warn her about the up-and-down nature of oil and gas, but perhaps they sent missed signals. 

I presume that the same issues that have hit Ms. Burns have also hit the various chemists who work in and around the oil and gas industry. Best wishes to them, and to all of us. 

7 new positions at Organic Chemistry Jobs

Common Organic Chemistry is resolving some technical difficulties, but has ported over the list to Google Drive for now. There are 7 new positions for December 21.

Don't forget to check out the Common Organic Chemistry company list, a very helpful resource for organic chemists looking for potential employers.

NYT on Chinese COVID vaccines - UPDATE

Via the New York Times, this interesting news: 

Hospitals all over China have almost everything necessary for a mass vaccination drive: Millions of doses. Refrigerators to store them. Health care workers trained to administer them.

Everything, that is, except proof that any of their vaccines work.

Unlike their Western competitors, the Chinese companies have not disclosed data from late-stage clinical trials that would show whether their vaccines are effective, and regulators in China have not officially approved them.

That has not deterred local governments across the country, which have begun an ambitious vaccination campaign. The goal is to inoculate 50 million people — roughly the population of Colombia — by the middle of February, before the Lunar New Year holiday, when hundreds of millions of people are expected to travel.

I am very interested to see how well the Chinese vaccines work, and how their regulatory systems perform. You could tell an interesting story of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, being appropriately documented, as being sufficiently effective to be deployed across the developing world. It would, in the right scenario, herald the Chinese pharma industry as being able to produce world-class vaccines, and their regulatory systems as being as rigorous as Western countries. I think it's still too early to tell, but the choice to be relatively mum on the performance of the Sinopharm vaccines doesn't bode well...  

UPDATE: This post was overtaken by events. Via the New York Times this morning: 

A Chinese pharmaceutical company said on Wednesday that an early analysis of clinical trial results showed that one of its coronavirus vaccines was effective, an announcement that sent a positive signal for the global rollout of Chinese vaccines but lacked crucial details.

The company, a state-controlled firm called Sinopharm, said that a vaccine candidate made by its Beijing Institute of Biological Products arm had an efficacy rate of 79 percent based on an interim analysis of Phase 3 trials. Sinopharm said it had filed an application with Chinese regulators to allow the vaccine to be used broadly.

It will be interesting to see how this will all play out. 

Calling all chemistry creatives

Readers, I don't know about you, but I find the first two months of the year tough - the weather is cold, and the nights are long. I'd like to provide some optimism and hope for the new year. 

If you have a piece of art (visual, or poetry) that you'd like to submit for publication on Wednesday mornings, I would very much like to publish it. 

Please e-mail me at chemjobber@gmail.com 

Chemical Activity Barometer up 1.1% in December

From the American Chemistry Council: 

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), rose 1.1% in December on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis, unchanged from November and October. On a year-over-year (Y/Y) basis, the barometer fell 1.1% percent in December.

The unadjusted data show a 0.7% gain in December following a 1.8% increase in November and a 0.7% gain in October. The diffusion index was stable at 71% in December. The diffusion index marks the number of positive contributors relative to the total number of indicators monitored. The CAB reading for November was revised upward by 0.24 points and that for October was revised upward by 0.89 points. These were highly volatile months for the data. As always, the December data are provisional and subject to revision.

"With eight consecutive months of gains, the December CAB reading is consistent with recovery in the U.S. economy," said Kevin Swift, chief economist at ACC.

The CAB has four main components, each consisting of a variety of indicators: 1) production; 2) equity prices; 3) product prices; and 4) inventories and other indicators.

In December, production-related indicators were positive. Despite strength in housing activity, trends in construction-related resins, pigments and related performance chemistry were mixed. Reflecting strength in manufacturing, resins and chemistry used in other durable goods were strong. Gains in plastic resins used in packaging and for consumer and institutional applications were positive and suggest further growth in retail sales. Performance chemistry for industry continued to expand. U.S. exports were positive, while equity prices increased, but at a slower pace. Product and input prices were modestly positive. Inventory and other supply chain indicators were positive.

 Good news, let's hope it continues into the new year. 

The 2021 Faculty Jobs List: 242 research/teaching positions and 27 teaching faculty positions

 The 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 242 research/teaching positions and 27 teaching assistant professor positions.

Want to help out? Here's a Google Form to enter positions.

In 2020-2021, we will be adding teaching professor positions, targeting positions that demonstrate an intention to renew permanently, 3 year terms and a promotion ladder and/or are titled "assistant teaching professor" or "associate teaching professor." We are adding community college positions if they explicitly offer tenure.

On January 7, 2020, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 508 research/teaching positions and 49 teaching faculty positions.

To see trending, go to Andrew Spaeth's visualization of previous years' list.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Go to the third open thread. Click here for the second thread, which closed on December 22. Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread. 

Click here for the first open thread, which closed on November 11, 2020.

Postdoctoral position: Inorganic Nanomaterials Chemistry, Rabuffetti Group, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

From the inbox: 

The Rabuffetti group at Wayne State University (http://www.rabuffettigroup.wayne.edu) has an open postdoctoral position in inorganic nanomaterials chemistry. This research project aims to establish principles to guide the discovery and design of luminescent nanothermometers for applications that range from biosensing to sustainable energy conversion. The project involves two major tasks: (1) solution-phase synthesis of thermosensitive, light-emitting nanocrystals; and (2) systematic investigation and understanding of their temperature-dependent luminescence response.  

Required qualifications:

• Ph.D. in inorganic, physical inorganic, or materials chemistry.
• experience in solution-phase synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals as documented by peer-reviewed publications.
• experience with photoluminescence data collection and analysis (time-resolved, variable-temperature) as documented by peer-reviewed publications.
• excellent command of analytical techniques such as elemental analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction.
• willingness to learn and bridge knowledge/experience gaps.
• strong written communication skills.

Interested candidates should send Prof. Rabuffetti (far@wayne.edu) (1) a one-page cover letter detailing relevant research experience, research interest, goals and expectations for the position, and preferred start date; and (2) a curriculum vitae including a list of publications and contact information for three references.

Best wishes to those interested.  

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 48 positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List has 48 positions. It is curated by Lilian Josephson (@lljosephson).

From Dr. Josephson: This year we will try to utilize the list further by circulating among the professors, as well as using the hashtags #facultychemEjobs and #MeettheCandidatesChE2020.

The open thread is found here. 

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 88 positions

 The Academic Staff Jobs list has 88 positions.

This list is curated by Sarah Cady and @nmr_chemist. It targets:

• Full-time STAFF positions in a Chem/Biochem/ChemE lab/facility at an academic institution/natl lab
• Lab Coordinator positions for research groups or undergraduate labs 
• and for an institution in Canada or the United States

Want to help out? Here's a Google Form to enter positions.

Want to chat about staff scientist positions? Try the open thread.

Coolest article you'll read about fruit flies today

Via the New York Times, a great article about a fruit fly institution: 

The Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center is the only institution of its kind in the United States, and the largest in the world. It currently houses over 77,000 different fruit fly strains, most of which are in high demand. In 2019, the center shipped 204,672 vials of flies to labs in 49 states and 54 countries, said Annette Parks, one of the center’s five principal investigators.

It is “one of the jewels we have in the community,” said Pamela Geyer, a stem cell biologist at the University of Iowa who has been ordering flies from the stock center for 30 years.

Other model organisms can be frozen at particular life stages for long-term storage; lab freezers the world over hold mouse embryos and E. coli cultures. But fruit flies can’t go on ice. Caring for the creatures means regularly “flipping” them: transferring them from an old vial to a clean one that has been provisioned with a dollop of food. Quarantined with other members of their strain, the flies mate and lay eggs, which hatch, pupate and reproduce, continuing the cycle.

Of course, these folks have been working hard through the pandemic. Best wishes to them, and all of us.  

Stimulus check eligibility

Via CNBC, the rules for upcoming stimulus payments: 

The pandemic recovery bill includes direct payments of up to $600 to eligible adults, plus $600 per child dependent.

While the adult benefit is half the size of the first stimulus check, the amount earmarked for qualifying dependents was raised by $100. At the full benefit amount, a family of four could potentially receive $2,400.

Those qualifying for the maximum stimulus payment include individuals earning up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income, or $112,500 as head of household and $150,000 as a married couple filing jointly. 

Payments are reduced at the same rate as the CARES Act checks. For every $100 earned over these income thresholds, payments are docked $5. However, the AGI caps are lower this time.

Individuals with $87,000 in income and married couples who file jointly earning $174,000 will not receive any payment. Therefore, fewer people will qualify for payments, and for those who do receive a check, some will be getting a lot less than the first round of payments.