Noise?: January's set of unemployment data

Earlier this month, the BLS unemployment data came out. The official unemployment rate (U3) for December 2009 was released -- it's flat at 10.0%, compared to November. The total unemployment rate (U6) for December 2009 was 17.3%, slightly up from 17.2%. That's only slightly better than October's 17.4%. Doubtless, there are many chemists in those numbers.

More in the not-so-great news vein: weekly initial unemployment claims ("1st time unemployment claims") are relatively high, the unemployment rate increased in 43 states last month and the number of job openings in the economy during November was near a record low. In the slightly more positive news front, temporary job openings are up.

More better, sooner? Let's hope so. (Much thanks to Calculated Risk, who covers breaking economic news like no other.)

Chemjobber C&EN Index: 1/11/10

Industrial positions (non-academic, non-governmental):
Total number of ads: 2
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 4+
- Ratio of US/non-US: 4+/0
Area: 78
Week to week Index trend: Down, slightly.

Governmental positions (US, international):
Total number of ads: 0
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 0
- Ratio of US/non-US: 0/0
Area: 0
Week to week Index trend: Down
  
Academic positions:
Total number of ads: 21
- Postdocs: 3
- Tenure-track faculty: 10++
- Temporary faculty: 2
- Lecturer positions: 1
- Staff positions: 3
- Ratio of US/non-US positions: 16+ /3+
- Area (square cm): 1298
Week to week Index trend: Up

Well: Adesis is looking for synthetic organic chemists at all levels. I've seen this ad before (it appears to be seasonal/cyclical), but it's nice that someone's still hiring. 

Academic-wise: Still chugging along, including some really questionable ones...

Got cash to burn? C&E News will take it: Nanyang Technical University has a half-pager for its College of Engineering. So it's advertising for tenure-track positions in bioinformatics, pharmaceutical and biomolecular engineering, synthetic biology, biophysiology, remote healthcare, medical devices, electrical power and energy, hybrid power systems, materials and devices for energy harvesting and storage, environmental chemistry, green building systems and materials, risk analysis and management, protective and resilient systems, urban infrastructure, artificial or computational intelligence, digital media processing, high performance computing, machine learning and intelligent agents, systems engineering applied to transportation and healthcare, biomimicry and information security. 

See anything applicable to C&EN? Look carefully -- it's in there. 

A moment to educate me: What's the point of a lecturer position? Is it a feeder into the tenure-track system? UC Berkeley is looking for a lecturer for organic chemistry. It looks tempting, but I'd love to know what the fate of lecturers are...

Small college of the week: Reed College (Portland, OR, student population: 1,442, SA-LUTE!) is looking for a visiting assistant professor in biochemistry or analytical chemistry. Ooooh, there's a 400 MHz NMR! Actually, Reed is a lovely campus and the students are quite bright (like top in the nation bright), so far as I understand. Watch out for the non-Reedie poseurs at Renn Faire.

Daily Pump Trap: 1/25/10 edition

Good morning! From January 21 through January 24, there have been 24 new positions posted on the ACS Careers website. Of these, 9 (38%) are academically connected and 2 (8%) are from Kelly Scientific Resources.

Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about: Experienced pharma chemists, this one's for you. Forma Therapeutics is looking for several experienced Ph.D. chemists to do medicinal chemistry. Best of luck, folks.

Indirectly workin' for the man: SAIC (one of the largest defense contractors) also helps out at NIH, apparently. They're looking for a B.S. chemist with experience in LC and LC/MS.

Directly workin' for the man: Sandia National Labs is looking for a Ph.D. material scientist -- must be able to get a security clearance. Nanoscale, soft lithography, electrochemisty, that sort of thing.

Good hiking, too: Cargill is looking for a B.S. chemist to do analytical work in their Fort Collins, CO location. Something to do with food, I think: "analysis of oil matrices in support of frying projects."

The human costs of pharma's Great Recession

There have been a number of cases recently of pharma scientists committing acts of violence; some of these acts are believed to be connected to their layoff.

While Chemjobber is mostly dedicated to the quantifiable aspects of what is now being called the Great Recession, it's worth noting the inalterable changes that are happening because plants are being shut down and people are being laid off. There are the immediate financial consequences: lost wages, lost homes, growing debt, etc.

But the human costs are deep: the stress of finding a new job (possibly for lower wages), the potential of being forced out of the field you love, the toll that this can take on families as they try to survive and (as seen in the linked articles) the poor choices that people make when things look their bleakest.

My thoughts and prayers are with the affected, their families and, well, all of us as we try to make it.

Good news on the lab safety front

The Chemical Safety Board is going to investigate the recent lab accident involving nickel hydrazine perchlorate at Texas Tech University, which seriously injured one student. This is good news, in that CSB has a good reputation for bringing expertise to bear on chemical safety (even if they are considered to be undermanned.)

The better news, in my opinion, is that they've been paying attention to what's going on in academic labs:

“We see serious accidents in high school and university labs every year, including a tragic fatality a year ago at UCLA,” said CSB Chairman John Bresland. “I believe it is time to begin examining these accidents to see if they can be prevented through the kind of rigorous safety management systems that we and others have advocated in industrial settings.”

 Nice to know we're being heard out here.

Daily (?) Pump Trap: 1/21/10 edition

Good morning, folks. From January 14 to January 20, there have been 134 new positions posted on the ACS Careers website. Of these, 6 (4%) are from academia and 80 (60%) are from Kelly Scientific Resources.

Mass spec analyst wanted: Thermo Fisher is looking for a M.S./Ph.D. with experience in developing mass spectrometry devices.

One for the biologists (heh): Hospira would like a Ph.D. analytical research chemist with experience in biologics method development.

Don't mind the cold?: Carestream Health in Minneapolis looks to be the medical imaging division of the remains of Eastman Kodak. They're looking for a Ph.D. polymer scientist, M.S./Ph.D. formulator and a Ph.D. nanomaterials specialist. Good luck!

Kelly Scientific: For as many jobs as they've posted this time around, there are relatively few facepalm moments. But, as always, there are a few. Are you a chemist? Do you like chemistry? Kelly Scientific wants to see if you want to be a cell biologist, a molecular biologist or a necropsy lab manager.

Sheri Sangji, one year later

One year ago today, Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji died of her injuries from an accident with tert-butyl lithium in the laboratory of Professor Patrick Harran at UCLA. Recently, the case has been handed from Cal/OSHA to the LA district attorney for assessment as to whether there has been a crime committed.

What I hope the chemists that are reading this will remember is the importance of wearing proper protective equipment in the lab. Among the many, many things that could have changed the tragic results of the day, a cotton lab coat may have done so. And while I actually mentioned to my mother-in-law that I took pleasure in not wearing a lab coat while in graduate school, it doesn't change the fact that I was stupid and I was wrong.

So, on this day of memorial for Ms. Sangji, I implore you, bench chemists, wear your PPE and avoid working alone. Watch out for your coworkers and admonish them when needed. Professors and administrators, lab safety is a top-down function. Do your jobs, even if it makes you unpopular. (What? You're not already?) It will keep your charges safe.

Rest in peace, Sheri Sangji.

Pledge drive: Want to know the TRUE unemployment rate for chemists?

In a recent In the Pipeline thread, commenter Jose said the following:

"Any geeks want to set up a website and do a social marketing campaign to get real data on unemployed/underemployed pharma-biotech chemists? If the ACS cannot get their act together, maybe it's time someone else did??"

If you believe the ACS member survey, the unemployment rate for chemists for 2009 is 3.8%. Do you believe that? I gotta say, I'm skeptical.

Would you like to find out otherwise? I would like to do a web survey on SurveyMonkey.com, where I could invite all chemists (regardless of ACS membership) to tell me their employment/unemployment status.

Problem is, an unlimited survey on SurveyMonkey is $200/year. While I'm willing to support a good portion of the cost, it would be nice to have some help. So, would you be willing to pitch in? Pledge your support in the comments and if I can get pledges for over 40% of the cost of the survey, we'll do this thing. What do you think?

Daily Pump Trap: 1/13/10 edition

Good evening! Since January 5, there have been 146 new positions posted on the ACS Careers website. Of these, 23 (16%) are academically connected and 100 (68%) are from the geniuses at Kelly Scientific Resources.

There's gold there...: A precious metals refiner is looking for a BS/MS chemist with precious metals refining experience. Interesting how they don't tell you who they are -- fascinating!

One for the p-chemists: Southwest Sciences, Inc. is looking for a PhD physical chemist for bench work for developing their laser/optical systems. And living in New Mexico, you'd get to have green chile stew, too!

One can wish: When I saw that a company called "Brewer Sciences" wanted a chemist, I was thinking about beer. Well, no. But if you're a MS/PhD chemist with lots of experience in ink formulation, they want to talk to you.

Kelly Time!: While the ratio of stinkers to non-stinkers continues to improve, there still are a couple that are just ridiculous. Are you a chemist? Do you like chemistry? The morons at Kelly Scientific Resources would like to know if you want to be a "Lab Helper - General Chemistry Knowledge Required!", a biology technician or (I am not freaking kidding) a sanitation supervisor in the food industry. God help us all.

Chemjobber C&EN Index: 1/4/10

Industrial positions (non-academic, non-governmental):
Total number of ads: 1
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 2
- Ratio of US/non-US: 2/0
Area: 97
Week to week Index trend: Up

Governmental positions (US, international):
Total number of ads: 1
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 1
- Ratio of US/non-US: 1/0
Area: 210
Week to week Index trend: Up
  
Academic positions:
Total number of ads: 14
- Postdocs: 4
- Tenure-track faculty: 7
- Temporary faculty: 5
- Lecturer positions: 0
- Staff positions: 0
- Ratio of US/non-US positions: 13/3
- Area (square cm): 851
Week to week Index trend: Up

Winter blahs: One sales position and one NMR position (with Bruker!) Well, it is winter. Sigh. 

Academic-wise: There's still stuff out there, but it's mostly temporary faculty and postdocs. US tenure-track positions have definitely slowed. 

Small college of the week: Franklin and Marshall College (Lancaster, PA, student population: 2,118 - SA-LUTE!) is looking for two one-year visiting professors in chemistry, one for organic chemistry and the other, general and analytical chemistry. If you're interested in teaching at the alma mater of Spliff Star and Roy Scheider, this job might be for you! 

Don Suddaby, real (and reel) chemist

A couple of weeks ago, In the Pipeline had a thread about the most "realistic depiction of a research chemist in some sort of popular entertainment". Sili chipped in with Lorenzo's Oil, which has both Augusto Odone's rather impassioned explanation of fatty acid synthesis and best of all, the depiction of a chemist, in the twilight of his career, purifying erucic acid (the titular oil of the movie.)

Don Suddaby was the chemist that did that remarkable work and he was asked to play himself in the movie. Mr. Suddaby worked for Croda International in the UK. According to an article by Steve Herman in Global Cosmetic Industry*:

Suddaby was a chemist with extensive experience in fatty acid chemistry. Within four months, working around the clock, Suddaby (who plays himself in the movie) prepared a liter of oil. The oil stabilized Lorenzo's condition, and more oil was needed both for Lorenzo and for other boys suffering from ALD.

The synthesis process was deemed too difficult for production of the needed quantities, and Croda tried a simpler composition, which proved even better than the previous oil... The details of the extraction and purification of Lorenzo's Oil can be found in the patent issued to Suddaby and Coupland, which is remarkably readable for a legal document.

The movie portrayal of Suddaby (YouTube, part 10, 4:21) is rather lovely (I love the closeup of a seemingly working distillation later in the film) and a nice write-up of his character is in a recent article by Xconomy's Stewart Lyman contrasting the current movie portrayal of the pharmaceutical industry with that in Lorenzo's Oil.

Mr. Suddaby appears to have passed on in 1993; I'm pleased that (thanks to Hollywood), we have some acknowledgement of his contribution to human health and also a very nice portrayal of a chemist on film. Now, if only we could get some more...

*Cosmetics & Compassion. By: Herman, Steve, Global Cosmetic Industry, 15239470, Jan2001, Vol. 168, Issue 1

Daily Pump Trap: 1/5/10 edition

Evenin', folks. Including December 30, there have been 23 new positions posted on the ACS Careers website. Of these, 15 (65%) are academically connected and none are from our friends at Kelly Scientific Resources.

Plastic or paper?: Loparex LLC is looking for a BS/MS chemist with experience in paper science for their R&D division. Sounds like fun, with manufacturing facilities all over the world.

NMR dude/dudette needed: Bruker BioSpin is looking for a BS/MS research associate for R&D into NMR of "fruit juices, dietary supplements, chemicals, tissues, and biofluids." Huh. That's a little different - also sounds like a silly grad school prank? What's this NMR? Oh, it's the spectra of WD-40.

Are you a steely-eyed medicinal chemist?: The NIH's "Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) Program" is looking for a prominent and experienced Ph.D. medicinal chemist to run the chemistry division of the program. Um, wow. Good luck!

Chemjobber C&EN Index: 12/21/09

Industrial positions (non-academic, non-governmental):
Total number of ads: 0
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 0
- Ratio of US/non-US: 0
Area: 0
Week to week Index trend: Down.

Governmental positions (US, international):
Total number of ads: 0
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 0
- Ratio of US/non-US: 0/0
Area: 0
Week to week Index trend: Flat.
  
Academic positions:
Total number of ads: 9
- Postdocs: 1
- Tenure-track faculty: 10
- Temporary faculty: 0
- Lecturer positions: 0
- Staff positions: 0
- Ratio of US/non-US positions: 11/0
- Area (square cm): 434
Week to week Index trend: Down.

No jobs senryu:
Industrial jobs
There's nowhere to apply to

Maybe Santa's late?

A glimpse into the future?: Emory University is looking for an assistant professor to begin staffing its NSF Phase I center in C-H functionalization. This is exciting stuff, as I've not heard of a center to look into the field (that I personally find fascinating.) 

Small college of the week: The City University of New York - York College (Queens, NY, student population: >6000 students, SA-LUTE!) is looking for 2 tenure-track professors, one in inorganic chemistry and one in pharmaceutical science or medicinal chemistry. Sounds like fun, especially like you like the big city. 

Chemjobber C&EN Index: 12/14/09

Industrial positions (non-academic, non-governmental):
Total number of ads: 1
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 1
- Ratio of US/non-US: 1/0
Area: 17
Week to week Index trend: Down.

Governmental positions (US, international):
Total number of ads: 1
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 7+
- Ratio of US/non-US: 7+/0
Area: 139
Week to week Index trend: Up.
  
Academic positions:
Total number of ads: 15
- Postdocs: 3
- Tenure-track faculty: 14+
- Temporary faculty: 0
- Lecturer positions: 0
- Staff positions: 2
- Ratio of US/non-US positions: 17+/3
- Area (square cm): 637
Week to week Index trend: Down, slightly. 

Back issue #2: Not much here, either. NREL is looking for people, but you'd be blind if you didn't know that by now. 

Chemjobber C&EN Index: 12/7/09

Industrial positions (non-academic, non-governmental):
Total number of ads: 6
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 19++
- Ratio of US/non-US: 3/16++
Area: 791
Week to week Index trend: Up.

Governmental positions (US, international):
Total number of ads: 0
- Postdocs: 0
- Permanent positions: 0
- Ratio of US/non-US: 0/0
Area: 0
Week to week Index trend: Down.
  
Academic positions:
Total number of ads: 15
- Postdocs: 0
- Tenure-track faculty: 16+
- Temporary faculty: 0
- Lecturer positions: 0
- Staff positions: 0
- Ratio of US/non-US positions: 16+/0
- Area (square cm): 715
Week to week Index trend: Up.

Back issue #1: Not much to report, other than that WuXi AppTec that is still hiring and still DETERMINED TO SERVE YOU BETTER. That, and yeah, if you were looking for a job in the US this week, it was slim pickins'.