The Periodic Bagel: Alex Goldberg and Chemjobber, guest: Lisa Jarvis

Launching today is the inaugural podcast of The Periodic Bagel, with guest Lisa Jarvis of Chemical and Engineering News. Lisa speaks to us about her recent KRas cover story in C&EN as well as her strong feelings about candy corn.

Alex has done an amazing amount of work in a very fast period of time, and I am really grateful that it has turned out as well as it has. Please take a listen.

You can't subscribe to us on iTunes yet, but here's our RSS feed.

Please feel free to add comments and suggestions for guests and topics in the comments. 

51 new positions at Organic Chemistry Jobs

Over at Common Organic Chemistry, there are 23 new positions for October 26, 16 positions for October 20 and 13 positions for October 14.

The Analytical Chemistry Jobs List: 29 positions

The Analytical Chemistry Jobs List has 29 positions; this is curated by the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry. Want to help out? Fill out this form. 

A teaser trailer for a new podcast

Enjoy a little snippet of a new podcast with Alex Goldberg and myself. 

Job posting: BS process chemist, Quanta BioDesign, Plain City, OH

From the inbox, a process chemist position in Plain City, OH:

Junior Process Chemist, Quanta BioDesign 

Quanta BioDesign is a research and manufacturing company committed to the development of a full range of discrete polyethylene glycol (dPEG®) PEGylation reagents for applications in diagnostics, therapeutics, peptide synthesis, oligonucleotide synthesis, and nanotechnology. 

To meet our growing business demands we are currently seeking to fill the position of a junior Process Chemist. The Process Chemist position entails being an essential part of our process and scale-up activities, supplying key intermediates, optimizing existing processes and exploring a growing range of new processes for making our unique dPEG® products. 

The process Chemist interacts with chemists both in and outside their group, and will be a vital link in the development of the dPEG® technology. As a result, excellent planning and problem-solving skills are a critical aspect of this position. Also, since this is a manufacturing position the Chemist must be capable of lifting up to 50lbs on a regular basis. 

Qualifications

• This is an entry level position that requires a theoretical and practical knowledge of general chemistry, organic chemistry and bio-conjugation principles.
• Candidates recently completing a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with 1-2 years of experience are encouraged to apply.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 434 research/teaching positions and 25 teaching faculty positions

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 434 research/teaching positions and 25 teaching assistant professor positions.

Want to add a position? Here's a Google Form to enter positions. In 2019-2020, 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." As of 9/20/19, we are adding community college positions if they explicitly offer tenure.

See an error? Please contact us at chemjobber@gmail.com

On October 30, 2018, the 2018 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 436 positions.

Here's a link to the first open thread; here's a link to the second, which is the current open thread. This post will be the third open thread; the second open thread will close at noon Eastern on Tuesday, October 29, 2019.

UPDATE: This thread was closed on November 12, 2019 - the new thread is here: http://chemjobber.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-2020-chemistry-faculty-jobs-list_12.html

Postdoctoral fellowship: environmental radiochemistry, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL

From the inbox: 

JOB DESCRIPTION 

The Anagnostopoulos Research Group at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Central Florida seeks to hire a postdoctoral researcher in the field of radiochemistry and environmental radiochemistry. 

This is a multi-faceted project that focuses on the oxidative dissolution of sparingly soluble radioactive phases, as well as synthesis, characterization and stability studies of mineral phases for the incorporation of anionic contaminants. 

REQUIREMENTS 

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in chemistry or closely related field. Prior demonstrated experience with spectroscopic analysis of solids and solutions (e.g. XPS, FIB, SIMS etc.) and processes such as solubility, complexation and modelling and speciation will be viewed favorably.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.  

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 76 positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List has 76 positions. It is curated by Lilian Josephson (@lljosephson). 

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 28 positions

The Academic Staff Jobs list has 28 positions.

This list is curated by Sarah Cady. 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.

UW Madison grad student died of suicide; father blames abusive boss

This is a post about an electrical engineering grad student at UW-Madison who died by suicide in 2016; if you don't want to read this, I won't mind. 

Taking a chance on Boston?

A great question, via Twitter:

Is there a city in the United States (or, for that matter, the world) where you would recommend someone move to without a job to get a job in chemistry?*

My short answer: no, there isn't. My longer answer: If you HAD to move some place without a job in order to look for work in science/chemistry, I would choose either Boston or San Francisco, but still seems really risky. You might be able to move into the pool of temporary workers, but it seems that temp pay probably doesn't cover the high rents.

Readers, what say you?

UPDATE, 11 AM 10232019: Anon10:21AM helpfully reminds me that there's such a thing as "the oil and gas industry"; I agree entirely.

*There was a while back where driving to Williston, North Dakota seemed like a great place to get a job and earn some money, but I don't think there were very many chemists there...

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 417 research/teaching positions and 20 teaching faculty positions

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 417 research/teaching positions and 20 teaching assistant professor positions.

Want to add a position? Here's a Google Form to enter positions. In 2019-2020, 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." As of 9/20/19, we are adding community college positions if they explicitly offer tenure.

See an error? Please contact us at chemjobber@gmail.com

On October 23, 2018, the 2018 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 420 positions.

Here's a link to the first open thread; here's a link to the second, which is the current open thread.

Job posting: assistant/associate teaching professor, Northeastern University, Boston, MA

From the inbox:

Northeastern University is seeking a full-time non-tenure track Assistant/Associate Teaching Professor in Biochemistry. Experience in teaching physical and/or analytical methods in biochemistry is preferred. Applicants should submit a CV, cover letter, teaching statement, statement describing their experiences working with diverse populations, and the contact information for three references. Applicants will be consulted before their references are contacted. All of the application information is submitted using this link:  https://careers.hrm.northeastern.edu/en-us/job/501904/assistantassociate-teaching-professor

Best wishes to those interested. 

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 67 positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List has 67 positions. It is curated by Lilian Josephson (@lljosephson). 

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 28 positions

The Academic Staff Jobs list has 28 positions.

This list is curated by Sarah Cady. 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.

15 new positions at Organic Chemistry Jobs

Over at Common Organic Chemistry, there are 15 new positions for October 14.

The Analytical Chemistry Jobs List: 26 positions

The Analytical Chemistry Jobs List has 26 positions; this is curated by the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry. Want to help out? Fill out this form. 

Warning Letter of the Week: gritty cracking edition

A missive from the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to the Chairman & Managing Director of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited in Mumbai, India: 

Your firm failed to thoroughly investigate any unexplained discrepancy or failure of a batch or any of its components to meet any of its specifications, whether the batch has already been distributed (21 CFR 211.192). Your firm failed to ensure your investigations identify appropriate root causes and you failed to implement sustainable corrective action and preventive action (CAPA). 

a. You failed to thoroughly investigate multiple complaints of grittiness for your topical [redacted] cream USP, [redacted]%. Since November 2017, you rejected 20 batches and received at least 38 complaints about product grittiness. Product grittiness has been an ongoing formulation issue since 2010 and was a deficiency cited in the previous inspection of your facility. You proposed specific remediation for this formulation issue in your response at that time. In your response to the most recent inspection, you stated that the product grittiness issue was remediated during product reformulation in November 2018. Your response is inadequate. You did not provide sufficient data to demonstrate the robustness of the new formulation... 

d. You failed to adequately investigate more than 70 consumer complaints associated with punctures, cracks, and holes in [redacted] for various drug products including, but not limited to, [redacted] ointment USP, [redacted]%, [redacted] cream USP, and [redacted] ointment USP, [redacted]%. Your investigations failed to adequately address the scope and cause of these serious container/closure system defects and evaluate other drug products that have similar manufacturing quality signals such as complaints, or that use the same supplier. 

In your response, you stated that the root cause for the complaints was improper “handling by folding and refolding of the [redacted]” by consumers. In addition, you stated that because the complaint rate is insignificant, there is no risk to marketed batches. However, you closed more than 50 of the complaints, without CAPA to prevent recurrence of similar quality defects.

I like the "blame the root cause on the customer" approach - that's a new one.  

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 406 research/teaching positions and 16 teaching faculty positions

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 406 research/teaching positions and 16 teaching assistant professor positions.

Want to add a position? Here's a Google Form to enter positions. In 2019-2020, 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." As of 9/20/19, we are adding community college positions if they explicitly offer tenure.

See an error? Please contact us at chemjobber@gmail.com

On October 16, 2018, the 2018 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 401 positions.

Here's a link to the first open thread; here's a link to the second, which is the current open thread.

Postdoctoral positions: synthetic organic chemistry, Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, UNC Chapel Hill

From the inbox, five postdoctoral positions at UNC-Chapel Hill:

The Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery at UNC-CH invites highly skilled and motivated synthetic organic chemists who are interested in expanding or deepening their skills, including medicinal chemistry and chemical biology, to apply for this position. The postdoctoral associate will become a member of multidisciplinary teams in an environment where his/her knowledge of organic synthesis will play a key role in advancing chemical biology and drug discovery projects. Specifically, this position will focus on the creation of high-quality in vivo chemical probes versus less explored Alzheimer Disease targets that can advance understanding of the pharmacologic intervention points most likely to lead to new drugs for this disease.

Full listing here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 62 positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List has 62 positions. It is curated by Lilian Josephson (@lljosephson). 

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 28 positions

The Academic Staff Jobs list has 28 positions.

This list is curated by Sarah Cady. 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.

Polystyrene breaks down to carbon and CO2 in sunlight?

Via the New York Times, this fascinating new study from a team from Woods Hole: 

“We’re not calling the concerns or the actions wrong,” Christopher M. Reddy, a marine chemist at Woods Hole and another author on the study, said in an interview. “We just have a new thread to add and we think it’s significant.” 

The study was published Thursday in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters, a publication of the American Chemical Society, a scientific group based in Washington. 

The new study demonstrated that sunlight does even more, breaking down polystyrene into basic chemical units of organic carbon, which dissolves in seawater, and trace amounts of carbon dioxide, at levels far too low to play a role in climate change. By the end of this process the plastic has effectively disappeared from the environment. 

In the paper, the researchers described the study as “the first direct evidence” of how of sunlight can break down polystyrene in the environment into its basic chemical building blocks.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I do find it remarkable that it took so long to figure this out... (for those interested, the published article is here.) 

A tiny bit of good news

Via the New York Times, a success for a single patient:

The drug, described in The New England Journal of Medicine, is believed to be the first “custom” treatment for a genetic disease. It is called milasen, named after the only patient who will ever take it: Mila (mee-lah) Makovec, who lives with her mother, Julia Vitarello, in Longmont, Colo. 

Mila, 8, has a rapidly progressing neurological disorder that is fatal. Her symptoms started at age 3. Within a few years, she had gone from an agile, talkative child to one who was blind and unable to stand or hold up her head. She needed a feeding tube and experienced up to 30 seizures a day, each lasting one or two minutes. 

Ms. Vitarello learned in December 2016 that Mila had Batten’s disease. But the girl’s case was puzzling, doctors said. Batten’s disease is recessive — a patient must inherit two mutated versions of a gene, MFSD8, to develop the disease. Mila had just one mutated gene, and the other copy seemed normal. That should have been sufficient to prevent the disease.... 

In March 2017, Dr. Timothy Yu and his colleagues at Boston Children’s Hospital discovered that the problem with the intact gene lay in an extraneous bit of DNA that had scrambled the manufacturing of an important protein. 

That gave Dr. Yu an idea: Why not make a custom piece of RNA to block the effects of the extraneous DNA?... Dr. Yu’s team oversaw development of the drug, tested it in rodents, and consulted with the Food and Drug Administration. In January 2018, the agency granted permission to give the drug to Mila. She got her first dose on Jan. 31, 2018. 

The drug was delivered through a spinal tap, so it could reach her brain. Within a month, Ms. Vitarello noticed a difference. Mila was having fewer seizures, and they were not lasting as long. With continued treatments, the number of seizures has diminished so much that the girl has between none and six a day, and they last less than a minute...

Here's hoping that this treatment lasts in the long term for Mila. What a wonderful success for her family and for Dr. Yu's team, and here's to many more cures to come for future Milas. I cannot imagine that anyone will ever make a profit from an approach like this (and here, I may lack imagination), but if lives are improved, that's good enough for me. 

Job posting: Chemical Inventory Program Manager, University of Wisconsin-Madison

From the inbox, a position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison:

The Chemical Inventory Program Manager plays a key role in efforts to promote a comprehensive chemical safety program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of the largest public education institutions in the country in terms of research expenditures and includes 42,000 students and 18,000 staff within the main campus and within its various statewide facilities. This position contributes to the UW-Madison Chemical Safety Office's goal of ensuring that all work involving hazardous chemicals is performed safely and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and standards (including OSHA, ANSI, EPA, DNR, IFC, NFPA, and the Wisconsin Administrative Codes). 

This position will be responsible for implementing and maintaining a campus-wide chemical inventory management system. Duties include working with key campus stakeholders on the essential features of the chemical inventory system, working with a selected vendor on identifying system requirements, and developing an implementation plan - including the identification of necessary resources needed for the implementation. 

The position requires the ability to manage a complex program while working collaboratively with stakeholders having diverse interests. Excellent verbal, writing and interpersonal skills are essential. This position reports directly to the Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO) in the Department of Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) within the Division of Facilities Planning and Management (FP&M). 

DEGREE AND AREA OF SPECIALIZATION: Bachelor's degree required, with major studies in science, engineering, project management, or related field. 

MINIMUM YEARS AND TYPE OF RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE: At least three years of experience in project management or developing a critical safety and compliance program.

Full ad here. Interested? Questions regarding this position may be directed to Dr. Jeffrey Zebrowski (jeff.zebrowski@wisc.edu). 

50 new positions at Organic Chemistry Jobs

Over at Common Organic Chemistry, there are 25 new positions for October 6, 13 positions for October 4 and 12 positions for October 3.  

The Analytical Chemistry Jobs List: 26 positions

The Analytical Chemistry Jobs List has 26 positions; this is curated by the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry. Want to help out? Fill out this form. 

There was a beryllium sphere floating in fluorocarbon at the middle of the MX missile?

Via Tyler Rogoway, this fascinating bit of information about the inertial navigation system of the Peacekeeper missile, called the Advanced Inertial Reference Sphere:

At the heart of Peacekeeper’s guidance and navigation system is the Advanced Inertial Reference Sphere (AIRS) with its highly advanced Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).  A “beryllium ball” weighing 450 pounds, the AIRS assemblage was designed for exquisite accuracy and, in keeping with that, great resistance to stress and temperature changes. 

Unlike Minuteman III’s gimbal-mounted, metal-touching-metal gyroscopes and accelerometers, those of Peacekeeper’s AIRS are snugly suspended in a highly viscous fluorocarbon liquid, which gives them free play but shields them against environmental fluctuations and keeps them from being bumped around.  AIRS’s beryllium housing is also virtually impervious to the drastic changes of temperature that a ballistic missile undergoes in flight.

I wonder what kind of fluorocarbon was used? (are they viscous?) 

This week's C&EN

A few articles from this week's issue of Chemical and Engineering News:

• Cover: Plastic has a problem; is chemical recycling the solution? (by Alexander H. Tullo)
• The POM Wonderful people gave Caltech a $750 million dollar gift for sustainability research (by Bethany Halford)
• "Chemists make arrays of click chemistry–ready azides efficiently and safely" (by Bethany Halford)
• Cool story on a professor-turned-cannabis scientist (by Britt E. Erickson)
• AkzoNobel to sell leftover/recycled paint (by Alex Scott)

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 381 research/teaching positions, 11 teaching faculty and second open thread

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 381 research/teaching positions and 11 teaching assistant professor positions.

Want to add a position? Here's a Google Form to enter positions. In 2019-2020, 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." As of 9/20/19, we are adding community college positions if they explicitly offer tenure.

See an error? Please contact us at chemjobber@gmail.com

On October 9, 2018, the 2018 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 377 positions.

This will be the second open thread; the first open thread will close at noon Eastern on Tuesday, October 8. Here is the link to the third open thread. 

Job posting: Instrument Scientist, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

From the inbox, this position:

Job Description: The Materials Analysis Research Laboratory (MARL) in the Department of Biotechnology at Iowa State University is seeking qualified candidates for an Instrument Scientist (Assistant Scientist I or II). This position is responsible for operation and support of x-ray diffraction and scattering equipment within MARL which includes a powder diffractometer and a small angle scattering system. The lab also houses a scanning electron microscope with x-ray analyzer, an x-ray photoelectron spectrometer, thermal analyzers (TGA and SDT) and an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer.   

Work is split between training clients (mostly graduate students) to use the equipment on their own and performing the characterization, including both chemical and physical analyses, for them. Therefore the successful candidate is expected to have a broad knowledge of the possible techniques and able to choose the appropriate technique for the issue at hand.
Preferred Qualifications:

• M.S. degree in engineering or physical sciences with five years of experience using and maintaining x-ray instrumentation for materials characterization. Ph.D. preferred. 
• Experience with other characterization tools. 
• Experience with training clients to use laboratory equipment.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple projects.
• Demonstrated oral and written communication skills for developing a plan of action and reporting results.

Required Minimum Quals:

• Bachelor's degree and 1 year of related experience.

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). 

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 28 positions

The Academic Staff Jobs list has 28 positions.

This list is curated by Sarah Cady. 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.

A message to applicants from the chair at Iowa State UPDATED

An update from Professor Jenks (4:24 PM Eastern, 07 October 2019):

The Chemistry Department at Iowa State University has an opening for an analytical or experimental physical chemist at the assistant professor level.  Applications were originally intended to close Sunday night, but software glitches caused problems from at least Friday onward.  Those have been addressed and applications will again be accepted through Thursday night Oct 10.  The software will close the window at 12:01 Friday morning. We apologize for the inconvenience and are glad to be able to re-open the position for those who were trying to apply.  (Contrary to an earlier comment, I do not have access to the names of anyone who had a partial application submitted; such people should also log into the application system again.) https://isu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/IowaStateJobs/job/Ames-IA/Assistant-Professor_R659

Via the comments on the open thread, a comment from William Jenks: 

I am the chemistry chair at ISU. This happened because no one here knew the new software closes at 12:01 AM on a date instead of 11:59 PM. Yes, every single one of us agrees this is stupid. Additionally, there was some kind of partial software problem for Friday and Saturday, too. Anyone with a partial application should hear from us very soon. If you tried to start an application and failed, please send me an email ASAP at wsjenks@iastate.edu. I will try to get you into the pool, but I will have to go through our HR people because only a finite number of people will see this post. But yes, we'd like to get you into the pool if at all possible. Very sorry.

Best wishes to those involved. 

C&EN: Thickening agents other than vitamin E acetate causing vaping injuries?

Great article from Chemical and Engineering News (by Britt Erickson) on the chemistry angle around the mysterious vaping illnesses, with this unusual tidbit about agents other than vitamin E acetate that may be responsible for the problem: 

Thickening agents are common in illicit THC cartridges, but they are rarely added to legal products where testing for potency is required, says Jeffrey Raber, cofounder and CEO of the Werc Shop, a California-based cannabis contract manufacturing and testing firm. 

“THC concentrates are known to be thick and viscous when they are high potency,” Raber says. So when street dealers dilute illicit products with various agents to maximize profits, those products are typically less viscous. Consumers can visually detect the viscosity of the product by turning the cartridge upside down. If a bubble goes from the top to the bottom quickly, it usually means that the product has been cut with something, Raber says. Dealers mask that visual test by adding a thickening agent, so the bubble doesn’t move from the top to bottom as fast, and consumers think they are getting a high-potency product. 

The illicit cannabis market “is out of control and concerning,” even in states like California where recreational cannabis is legal, Raber says. In California, the cannabis black market is estimated to be 3 to 4 times the size of the legal cannabis industry, he notes. 

One source of the black market problem is that California requires testing of final finished cannabis products, Wise says. If a product fails the test, more often than not, it doesn’t get thrown away. Instead, it enters California’s black market and is then distributed to states where cannabis is illegal, she says.

(Out-of-spec product being reworked for sale? Say it isn't so!)

In a similar news, I found the Mayo Clinic study (covered here by the New York Times) to be interesting, since they did not visually detect signs of lipoic pneumonia, as would be expected if it was vitamin E acetate causing the problem. Rather, the physicians explained it this way:

“All 17 of our cases show a pattern of injury in the lung that looks like a toxic chemical exposure, a toxic chemical fume exposure, or a chemical burn injury,” said Dr. Brandon T. Larsen, a surgical pathologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. “To be honest, they look like the kind of change you would expect to see in an unfortunate worker in an industrial accident where a big barrel of toxic chemicals spills, and that person is exposed to toxic fumes and there is a chemical burn in the airways.” 

The injuries also look like those seen in people exposed to poisons like mustard gas, a chemical weapon used in World War I, he said.

I find Dr. Larsen's speculation a little confusing, i.e. do pathologists have visual markers for the various types of chemical injuries to the lungs? (They must have, right? I mean, do acidic burns look different than basic (say, ammonia burns), etc., etc?) There can't be just one visual presentation of lung tissue damage from chemicals, can there?

I confess to be very confused as to what exactly is causing the vaping illnesses, and I would really like chemists to get involved to determine what exactly the bad actor (or actors) is/are.

Advertisement: Scott Bagley for Division of Organic Chemistry Member at Large

From the inbox, an ad from a friend of the blog, Scott Bagley: 

Voting for the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Executive committee is now open.  Division members will receive an email from elections@vote-now.com with links to the ballots and candidate biographies.  We have a terrific slate of candidates from across the organic chemistry community so please visit or join the Division of Organic Chemistry at https://www.organicdivision.org/  You must be a DOC member to view the candidates and cast your ballot.  

I am running for one of 4 Member-at-Large posts and would appreciate your consideration. Thank you.

Is there a bias against analytical chemists?

Via Twitter, this fascinating statement:

I am an analytical chemist specializing in mass spectrometry. I am growing tired of colleagues in other chemistry disciplines looking down on analytical scientists, for some reason that I cannot yet explain. Let’s move on to the 21st century! 

This statement was backed up by another, more senior, scientist:

The top tier chemistry departments eliminated analytical chemistry decades ago. It is also why some of the same top tier universities were very late to the "proteomics party" if they showed up at all. What will they miss next?? SCP?

In discussions about these two statements, I thought this comment from a very senior chemistry professor was relevant: 

It is true that the elite private institutions that dominate the top 10 programs do not have dedicated analytical pathways. The top analytical programs are at the public institutions, especially in the Midwest.

As someone who has worked with industrial analytical chemists for over a decade (man, I'm old), I'm more than a little bewildered that there is a seeming bias against analytical chemists. How the heck do you not love people who help you see your compounds and understand your science better? I also was surprised, but the second largest group of chemists to be produced out of doctoral programs in the United States are analytical chemists. But with Professor Burstyn's comments, there does appear to be a seeming inequality in treatment amongst subfields at different universities. 

So, readers, some questions: Is this true? If so, when did it start? And finally, how can it end? 

9 new positions at Organic Chemistry Jobs

Over at Common Organic Chemistry, there are 6 new positions for October 2 and 3 new positions for September 23. 

The Analytical Chemistry Jobs List: 26 positions

The Analytical Chemistry Jobs List has 26 positions; this is curated by the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry. Want to help out? Fill out this form. 

Grim projections about manufacturing from BLS

The explanatory article from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that accompanies the biennial employment projections has some grim things to say about the manufacturing economy and employment: 

Most rapidly declining employment 

The manufacturing sector is projected to lose the most jobs and have the most rapid employment decline of any sector over the projections decade. The large manufacturing sector contains 10 of the 20 industries projected to have the most rapid employment declines. Some factors contributing to the loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector are international competition and the adoption of new productivity-enhancing technologies, such as robotics. The tobacco manufacturing industry is projected to have the most rapid declines in industry employment, falling 4.6 percent annually. 

The decline in employment in the manufacturing sector is expected to decrease employment over the projections decade in a number of occupations concentrated in manufacturing. Production occupations are projected to experience the strongest employment decline of any occupational group, because of a combination of automation and offshoring. Of the 30 occupations with the fastest employment declines, 13 are in the production occupational group and include various machine and tool setters, assemblers, and operators. Although their employment is projected to decline rapidly, they are relatively small occupations and are projected to lose only about 56,200 jobs in total.

Why do I mention this? The manufacturing sector employs a large percentage of the nation's chemists. (42%, to be exact). This bears watching - and it is worth noting that BLS aren't soothsayers.

This week's C&EN

A few of the articles from this week's issue of Chemical and Engineering News:

• Cover: Science bridges international borders (by Andrea Widener)
• "How a Santa Cruz toxicologist helped push through a ban on lead ammunition in California" (by Lauren Gravitz, special to C&EN)
• TIL there are ethylene oxide emissions (by Cheryl Hogue)
• Cool video about the synthesis of perseanol by the Reisman group (by Bethany Halford and Matt Davenport)
• The Blackmond group puts a hole in a popular theory on the origins of homochirality (by Leigh Krietsch Boerner)
• "Chemical makers open New York City–area labs" (by Marc S. Reisch)
  

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 354 research/teaching positions, 8 teaching faculty

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 354 research/teaching positions and 8 teaching assistant professor positions.

Want to add a position? Here's a Google Form to enter positions. In 2019-2020, 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." As of 9/20/19, we are adding community college positions if they explicitly offer tenure.

See an error? Please contact us at chemjobber@gmail.com

On October 2, 2018, the 2018 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 349 positions.

Here's the link to the latest open thread.

Job posting: visiting lecturer, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD

From the inbox: 

Visiting Lecturer for Analytical and Freshman Chemistry Laboratories 

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland Baltimore County invites applications for a one-year visiting, non-tenure track faculty position in analytical and freshman chemistry beginning January 2020. Primary teaching responsibilities will include instruction and oversight of advanced instrumental analysis and sophomore-level quantitative analysis laboratories as well as freshman chemistry laboratories.  Successful candidates will have a strong background in chemical instrumentation and methodologies with a desire to teach at the undergraduate level. 

Applicants possessing a Ph.D. in chemistry or related field are preferred; qualified candidates with an M.S. degree and relevant experience will be considered.  

Applications should include cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of teaching philosophy, and three letters of recommendation and be sent electronically to http://apply.interfolio.com/69038.   

For best consideration, submit application materials by November 15th, 2019. Consideration of applications will continue until the position is filled.  UMBC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer; and applications from women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are especially encouraged.  

Best wishes to those interested. 

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 40 positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List has 40 positions. It is curated by Lilian Josephson (@lljosephson). 

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 14 positions

The Academic Staff Jobs list has 14 positions.

This list is curated by Sarah Cady. 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.