Have a great weekend

Well, this has been a wild week for me so far. Next week is a vacation week for me (I hope). I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. Limited posting next week, but we'll see you (guaranteed) a week from Monday. 

Brookline, MA student injured in IPA fire

Via Vivi Smilgius of Brookline News: 

A Brookline High School student and teacher were burned when a fire broke out on July 3 during a chemistry experiment in a summer school class, according to Brookline and state fire authorities.

The student, a 15-year-old, was treated at the scene by Brookline firefighters and taken to Boston Children’s Hospital for first- and second-degree burns to the hands, chest and face, according to Brookline Fire Chief John Sullivan.

The student was the only person treated by the Brookline Fire Department, Sullivan said. The teacher sustained “burns that were less serious,” according to Jake Wark, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Fire Marshal. Fire officials did not identify the student or teacher.

Brookline’s fire investigation team is investigating the incident, assisted by the state marshal’s office.

“The preliminary evidence suggests that a teacher was conducting an experiment that involved isopropyl alcohol, which is highly flammable. During this process, the alcohol ignited and the shirt of a student in close proximity caught fire, causing serious burn injuries,” Wark said in a statement to Brookline.News.

The teacher immediately helped the student, and another student used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, Wark said.

The Public Schools of Brookline did not respond to requests for comment from Brookline.News.

Justin Brown, the president of the Brookline Educators’ Union, declined to comment on the incident.

Seems to me that if we keep having teachers making mistakes with flammable solvents, we will continue to have injured students. It's a shame America can't seem to stop this from happening. 

Media report: "Israeli chemist faced unrelenting antisemitism at Stanford lab, lawsuit alleges"

Via the Jewish News of Northern California, this report: 

An Israeli scientist who came to Stanford as a postdoctoral fellow is suing the university, alleging it failed to take seriously the extreme antisemitic discrimination he said he experienced while researching treatments for diabetes from April 2024 to February 2025.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Los Angeles-based law firm Cohen Williams filed the suit on his behalf Thursday morning in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The lawsuit makes 17 allegations of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, defamation, withholding pay and breach of contract. The allegations include violations of both the federal Civil Rights Act and the state Unruh Civil Rights Act.

Shay Laps, a chemist from the Haifa area, said he faced hostility “from the moment of his arrival” in April 2024 at the Stanford Diabetes Research Center, which is part of Stanford’s School of Medicine. According to the lawsuit, as the months went on Laps was subjected to attempts at intimidation by his supervisor and efforts to remove him from the lab.

On reading the lawsuit, it appears that neither his coworker nor his PI was particularly friendly nor professional. Here's hoping that he ends up in a better laboratory. 

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 28 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 28 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions. 

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

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

On July 16, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 35 research/teaching positions and four teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's a link to the first open thread. 

Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread. 

Are you having problems accessing the Google Sheet because of a Google Documents error? Email me at chemjobber@gmail.com and I will send you an Excel download of the latest sheet. 

Have a good weekend

Well, this was a relatively quiet week. I hope that you had a quiet week, and that you have as restful and fun of a weekend as I am hoping to have. We'll see you on Monday. 

FiercePharma: "Trump renews 200% tariff threat on pharmaceuticals, indicates plan for grace period"

Via FiercePharma: 

Already late with carrying out his administration's prior threats around pharmaceutical tariffs, President Donald Trump has again renewed his pledge of quickly imposing drug levies.

During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the President raised the prospect of slapping tariffs as high as 200% on foreign-made pharmaceutical products. In addition, he said he plans to give manufacturers at least a year to move their operations to the U.S.

“We’re going to give people about a year, a year and a half, to come in,” Trump said, as quoted by Bloomberg. “And after that they’re going to be tariffed if they have to bring the pharmaceuticals into the country, the drugs and other things, into the country. They’re going to be tariffed at a very, very high rate, like 200%. We’ll give them a certain period of time to get their act together.”

I have been on record for a while observing that these tariffs seem unlikely to happen. I continue to believe this, especially since this is such a vital industry and the blowback would be almost immediate. Will the President pullet out? We shall see. 

I was also interested to note this obscure Bloomberg item: 

"Australia is “urgently seeking” more detail on President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 200% tariffs on pharmaceutical imports to the US, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said... 

Australia exported A$2.1 billion ($1.4 billion) worth of medicinal/pharmaceutical products to the US in 2024, or 38% of the nation’s overseas shipments of pharmaceuticals. That accounted for 0.4% of total goods exports, according to AMP Ltd."

I don't think of Australia as a major exporter of pharma goods into the US (they are not a large portion (I estimate them to be 0.5% or so ($1.4 billion and US imports overall appear to be in the $200 billion range)), but who knew? 

We'll see how this shakes out...

Thea Ekins-Coward receives $6.7 million dollar settlement from University of Hawaii-Manoa

Via KHON, this news at the end of a nine year legal saga: 

HONOLULU (KHON2) — An academic researcher who was severely injured in a lab explosion at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa reached a $6.7 million settlement after an almost decade-long legal battle.

Dr. Thea Ekins-Coward lost a portion of her right arm when her experiment exploded back in March 2016.

Following the incident, the university denied liability, saying Ekins-Coward was an employee covered by limited workers’ compensation.

Here's her legal firm's public statement: 

An academic researcher was seriously injured when her laboratory experiment exploded.  The university who sponsored the research denied liability. The university first claimed that, as our client’s employer, her claims against it were barred by the workers’ compensation statutes.  So, we obtained a ruling that our client was not the university’s employee, even though the university paid her a stipend and provided her certain benefits.

The university next blamed our client for using inappropriate and unsafe equipment.  But we showed that the university approved the equipment, and that the university should have better trained our client on safety measures that should be taken when working with explosive gasses.

The settlement we achieved was calculated to take care of our client’s needs going forward. And as a result of the investigation, universities across the country changed their laboratory safety practices so that other researchers would not suffer similar injuries.

I hope the settlement ends this long and painful chapter for Dr. Ekins-Coward, who appears to have moved on with her life in science. 

From the broad academic chemical/laboratory safety perspective, I simply do not think anymore (after the Beacon rainbow flame incident) that large settlements actually make a national impact. Individual PIs and researchers will definitely not hesitate to set up risky experiments because (I suspect) they are simply not experienced enough or not trained enough to recognize that (for example) a gas mixture of hydrogen and oxygen would require strict control of static electricity in the research environment. 

Best wishes to Dr. Ekins-Coward. 

I cannot help but also think that in today's clearly restricted funding environment, one possible outcome may be that schools will cut down on research safety oversight. I'm not sure that will have a dramatic impact on overall incidences of laboratory safety incidents in either direction, but it sure won't help. 

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 19 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions

 The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 19 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions. 

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

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

On July 9, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 24 research/teaching positions and two teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's a link to the first open thread. 

Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread. 

Are you having problems accessing the Google Sheet because of a Google Documents error? Email me at chemjobber@gmail.com and I will send you an Excel download of the latest sheet. 

Postdoctoral position: computational biology, Han Lab, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas

From the inbox: 

The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas is seeking to hire a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join Dr. Yanxiao Han’s computational biological laboratory. The Han Lab is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to contribute to interdisciplinary research at the interface of molecular biophysics, hormone signaling, and therapeutic design. 

The primary focus of the lab is on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), particularly those involved in cardiovascular and hormone signaling pathways. Using multiscale simulations—combining molecular dynamics, enhanced sampling, and kinetic modeling—the team investigates how neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and hormones such as estrogen interact with β-adrenergic and estrogen-related GPCRs. 

These studies aim to uncover the molecular basis of GPCR cross-talk and its impact on sex-specific cardiovascular function and disease. The lab is also interested in AI-driven design of peptides and proteins for therapeutic applications. This includes previously developed novel peptide drugs inspired by natural toxins to selectively target ion channels, as well as engineering antimicrobial peptides using machine learning and structural modeling approaches. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work on the mechanistic study of GPCR-mediated signaling, the rational design of next-generation biologics for precision medicine, and beyond.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. in biophysics, computational biology, chemistry, pharmacology, or a related field
• Strong background in molecular dynamics simulations and/or protein modeling
• Experience with enhanced sampling methods, multiscale modeling, and/or kinetic modeling is highly desirable
• Interest in translational applications, including peptide/protein therapeutics or cardiovascular drug development
• Experience mentoring students in a collaborative research environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Development and application of AI-driven methods in computational biomedical/biological related research
• Experience collaborating with experimental (wet-lab) researchers
• Strong communication skills

Full link here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Independence Day

It's Independence Day in the United States, which is a national holiday. We'll see you on Monday. 

 

Job posting: Senior Process Development Engineer/Chemist, Evonik, Allentown, PA

Via LinkedIn, this position: 

As a Senior Process Development Engineer, you will:

• Lead research, development, and scale-up of next generation, sustainable, and complex products across various assets.
• Design and execute experiments using reaction engineering, chemistry, and chemical engineering fundamentals, leveraging tools like DOE, chemical analysis, and data modeling, while encouraging diverse perspectives in problem-solving and decision-making.

Education and Experience

• MS or PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field
• Minimum of 7 years of industrial experience in a chemical laboratory research setting
• Experience in manufacturing or pilot plant settings strongly preferred

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 16 research/teaching positions

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 16 research/teaching positions. 

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

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

On July 2, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 17 research/teaching positions and two teaching position. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's a link to the first open thread. 

Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread. 

Are you having problems accessing the Google Sheet because of a Google Documents error? Email me at chemjobber@gmail.com and I will send you an Excel download of the latest sheet. 

Postdoctoral position: computational biology, Han Lab, University of North Texas, Denton, TX

From the inbox: 

The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas is seeking to hire a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join Dr. Yanxiao Han’s computational biological laboratory. The Han Lab is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to contribute to interdisciplinary research at the interface of molecular biophysics, hormone signaling, and therapeutic design. 

The primary focus of the lab is on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), particularly those involved in cardiovascular and hormone signaling pathways. Using multiscale simulations—combining molecular dynamics, enhanced sampling, and kinetic modeling—the team investigates how neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and hormones such as estrogen interact with β-adrenergic and estrogen-related GPCRs. 

These studies aim to uncover the molecular basis of GPCR cross-talk and its impact on sex-specific cardiovascular function and disease. The lab is also interested in AI-driven design of peptides and proteins for therapeutic applications. This includes previously developed novel peptide drugs inspired by natural toxins to selectively target ion channels, as well as engineering antimicrobial peptides using machine learning and structural modeling approaches. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work on the mechanistic study of GPCR-mediated signaling, the rational design of next-generation biologics for precision medicine, and beyond.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. in biophysics, computational biology, chemistry, pharmacology, or a related field
• Strong background in molecular dynamics simulations and/or protein modeling
• Experience with enhanced sampling methods, multiscale modeling, and/or kinetic modeling is highly desirable
• Interest in translational applications, including peptide/protein therapeutics or cardiovascular drug development
• Experience mentoring students in a collaborative research environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Development and application of AI-driven methods in computational biomedical/biological related research
• Experience collaborating with experimental (wet-lab) researchers
• Strong communication skills

Full link here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Have a great weekend

Well, this was a short and fun week for me. I hope that you had a better meal in Minneapolis than I did, but hey, gotta go with what works. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday. 

C&EN: "Veolia opens PFAS removal plant in Delaware"

Via C&EN, this news (article by Craig Bettenhausen): 

Wilmington, Delaware—At a water treatment plant outside Wilmington, Delaware, last week, officials cut the ribbon on a facility that will remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the water consumed by more than 100,000 Delaware residents. The facility, one of the largest of its kind in the US, is part of an emerging business in getting the unwanted fluorochemicals out of drinking water.

The complex represents a $35 million investment by Veolia, which operates the public water utility for the area. State and company officials at the event said the utility will ask for a 44% rate increase to make the investment pay off and cover the plant’s operation and maintenance. For an average household, they said, that will mean about $19 more each month. In similar infrastructure upgrades across the country, the actual rate increase is usually smaller than the utility’s initial proposal.

The installation consists of 42 filter tanks, each about the size of a shipping container, in a building about the size of a hockey rink. Larry Finnicum, Veolia’s mid-Atlantic regional president, said each tank is filled with granulated activated carbon (GAC), a filtering media provided by Calgon Carbon. Finnicum said Calgon’s GAC was the top performer in pilot tests on the plant’s source water, but the design of the tanks allows operators to switch filter media if better materials emerge or water conditions change.

Mohamed Ateia Ibrahim, an environmental engineer who studies PFAS treatment and substitution, tells C&EN that the upgrade is significant from the standpoints of public health and compliance. “The project uses GAC, which is a primary solution for water utilities taking proactive actions against PFAS,” he says. “It is a proven and reliable technology, but it also comes with persistent challenges that the water treatment industry continues to face.”

It will be interesting to see how successful this facility is (i.e. does it turn into an enormous boondoggle?) and if it stays relatively inexpensive for areas that have serious PFAS contamination, I predict that this will be the first of many... 

Job posting: Senior/Principal Synthetic Materials Chemist, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM

Via Bluesky, this position: 

We are seeking an outstanding synthetic materials chemist to establish both an independent research program and a develop a user program with capabilities on offer to the external user community at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), a DOE-funded user facility. The successful candidate will be a synthetic chemist working in an area of interest to the Soft, Biological, and Composite Nanomaterials Thrust at CINT. Of particular interest are synthesis, characterization, and applications of polymers and/or nanoparticles, but outstanding candidates working to synthesize other materials that have synergistic opportunities will be considered.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Lead the development of new synthetic techniques in materials chemistry
• Collaborate with other researchers at the laboratory, around the country, or around the world
• Lead or collaborate in the development of new projects from a variety of funding agencies
• Communicate results through high impact journals and conference presentations

Due to the nature of the work the selected applicant must be able to work onsite in Albuquerque, New Mexico Relocation will be provided for those that qualify.

Salary Range:

$114,000 - $227,500

Qualifications We Require:

• PhD in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, or a related field, plus 2 or more years post degree experience
• Significant experience in the synthesis of nanomaterials
• Record of technical achievement as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications in high profile journals
• Able to acquire and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

How many fluorines make a PFAS?

the compounds in question
Credit: C&EN

Via Chemical and Engineering News, this funny news (article by Britt Erickson): 

The US Environmental Protection Agency is doubling down on efforts to
decrease a backlog of new pesticide active ingredients waiting for EPA approval to enter the marketplace. Since April, the agency has proposed registering four of them—cyclobutrifluram, diflufenican, isocycloseram, and trifludimoxazin.

All four pesticides contain a fully fluorinated methyl or methylene group, raising concerns that they will persist in soil and water for many years. Environmental groups argue that the chemicals are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the definition recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2021. PFAS are notoriously difficult to remove from the environment, and some of them are toxic at extremely low levels. 

The proposed active ingredients have half-lives of over 3 years, which means that half of what is sprayed today will still be contaminating soil and water in 3 years, at the time of the next US presidential election, Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said during a meeting of the EPA’s Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) on June 17. Donley is a member of the PPDC, representing the environmental group’s perspective.

“It’s like PFAS pollution on steroids these past few months,” he said, referring to the EPA’s plan to approve the four pesticides. The EPA’s pesticides office “appears to have absolutely no plan to account for the fact that actives are getting more persistent and fluorinated breakdown products are essentially going to be around forever.” 

The proposed pesticide active ingredients can degrade into trifluoroacetic acid, which persists in the environment for more than 100 years, Donley noted.

Of course, there actually IS an apparent definition of PFAS: 

The EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs considers PFAS to be chemicals containing at least two saturated, fully fluorinated carbons, either CF₂ or CF₃. The OECD defines PFAS as any chemical with at least one saturated CF₂ or CF₃. The European Union has adopted a definition that is closer to that recommended by the OECD.

I am rather shocked that a legal definition of PFAS is about the number of saturated CF₂ or CF₃ and that is set so low. I mean, perfluorooctanoic acid has, I dunno, fifteen of them? But what do I know, I'm not a PFAS expert, I'm just a dumb organic chemist. 

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 9 research/teaching positions

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 9 research/teaching positions. 

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

On June 25, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 10 research/teaching positions and one teaching position. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's a link to the first open thread. 

Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread. 

Are you having problems accessing the Google Sheet because of a Google Documents error? Email me at chemjobber@gmail.com and I will send you an Excel download of the latest sheet. 

C&EN: "Chairs of 36 US chemistry departments call to restore funding"

In this week's C&EN, this news (article by Max Barnhart): 

A coalition of 36 chemistry department chairs from US universities has published an open letter in Science highlighting their concern over recent federal policy decisions impacting science (2025, DOI: 10.1126/science.adx8085).

The letter calls out decisions to decrease overhead rates, reduce funding for science, lay off program managers at scientific agencies, and restrict efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion as detrimental to chemistry research in the US. It states that “failing to support the scientific enterprise will erode decades of progress in research and innovation, ceding leadership in key technological areas to global competitors.”

The authors of the letter are listed alphabetically, and the letter states that the authors’ opinions do not reflect those of their home universities.

Amanda Morris, chair of the chemistry department at Virginia Tech, took the lead in drafting and organizing support for the letter. “We didn’t want the letter to be political,” she says. “We wanted to make an economic stance for why chemical research is critical to the United States and our world prowess as a scientific leader.”

The letter cites American Chemistry Council data that say the chemical industry contributes over $600 billion annually to the US economy and supports over 4 million jobs. But maintaining stable research funding for academic labs is critical for sustaining this economic output, according to the letter’s authors.

Peter B. Armentrout, chair of the chemistry department at the University of Utah and signee of the letter, says that recent policy decisions “may have cost savings in the short term, but it’s going to cause long-term damage to the ability of the United States to perform scientific research and to lead in scientific research.”

It's a good thing to push all the buttons to see what works. Best wishes to them, and to all of us. 

Job posting: Director of Formulation Chemistry, Monarch, Oakland, CA

Via ACS Chemistry Careers: 

Director of Formulation Chemistry

You’ll translate our hit Monarch repellent compounds from milligram-scale discoveries into pilot and manufacturing scale formulations. You’ll optimize solvent systems, work on controlled release systems, and ensure robust, reproducible processes for field trials and commercial production. 

Key Responsibilities

• Lead bench-to-pilot scale-up of candidate compounds, focusing on solvent selection, solvent recovery, controlled release, and other critical scale-up variables
• Design and execute experiments to assess solubility, stability, and volatility 
• Troubleshoot formulation issues and iterate quickly under real-world constraints
• Collaborate cross-functionally with predictive-modeling, behavioral assay, and computational chemist groups 

Requirements

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field
• 3+ years’ hands-on scale-up or process chemistry experience
• Deep understanding of solvent properties, controlled release phenomena, and formulation principles 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.