Tuesday, April 20, 2021

The 2021 Faculty Jobs List: 327 research/teaching positions and 63 teaching faculty positions

The 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 327 research/teaching positions and 63 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 April 21, 2020, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 556 research/teaching positions and 80 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?  This will the the home of the seventh open thread, which opened on April 20 at 6 AM Eastern.

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

49 comments:

  1. Let me start this thread. Anyone heard from UT-RGV after the 2nd round interview?

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    1. a UT RGV hire is on the bumpercars list

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  2. Has anyone heard back about the functional material position at Syracuse after the final round interview?

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  3. Anyone heard from Northeastern University after their INVEST search done by the College of Science?

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  4. Anyone knows anything about the status of the searches at SUNY Cortland, Fairleigh Dickinson U, and University of New Haven?

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  5. Illinois Institute of Technology is scheduling screening interviews.

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  6. How do these interviews work once the spring term ends? Is there still a seminar talk or any interaction with or feedback from students?

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    1. I've only "met" with the students at 1 out of 4 of the interviews I had (for a liberal arts college).
      Only a few students participated at my teaching sample and research seminar at another MS granting institution.
      Aside from the students attending the research seminar, I wouldn't know of anything else.

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    2. I've tried (unsuccessfully) to have teaching samples removed from our candidates' schedules. For one, it's really hard to simulate active learning pedagogies like flipped classrooms or team based learning when the only people in the room are other faculty. There's also a decent amount of research that points to an instructor's enthusiasm for the subject being a good indicator of sustained teaching effectiveness. If I had my way, we'd just have a standard seminar to gauge energy and communication skills, then discuss pedagogy in 1:1 interviews.

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  7. Still no offer at this time point after two on-site months ago, does that mean this season has been ended?

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    1. I am still hoping for someone to release their offer.

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    2. I would think so at this point, especially if you've not been contacted to provide a budget proposal or any other updated documents that the chair or dean might need. On the other hand, there could be other factors at play that might not be apparent. At my institution, for example, the office of diversity and inclusivity has become a bottleneck in recent years, especially if the chair recommends that an offer be extended to a non-minority candidate. I'm not being critical of their work or purpose, just pointing out that they have to file a lot of paperwork documenting efforts to hire underrepresented candidates and justify why an underrepresented candidate was not selected as the first choice, all of which takes time. This may or may not apply to you, but it's just an example that comes to mind.

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    3. Is it common that there are still many people having multiple offers at hand at this time of year? I am still waiting for a place where I was told hirable but not the top one...last hope

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    4. I've had 3 offers in the last 14 days. Accepted 1, withdrew from the other 2 and from other 3 places I had a final interview but no offer yet. A couple were not tenure-track, including one of the offers. So yes, sometimes interviews, time and decisions to go to an offer pile up. I tried my best to release my place as soon as everything was set in motion.

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    5. Several of the positions listed in the spreadsheet only closed within the last few days, so interviews probably haven't even been scheduled yet. I doubt that there are many R1 offers still up in the air at this point, but some of the late-season openings are probably still being filled.

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  8. Any news from University of Akron?

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  9. SUNY ESF - offers given to two candidates

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  10. Hi all. I have been applying to faculty positions in Chem/Biochem and have not heard back. I was wondering how much it hurts my chances that I have never had fellowship funding as a graduate student or postdoc. For reference I have 10 publications (5 first author) over the last 10 years, and based on peer/advisor feedback my application package documents are in good shape. Do any of you have a similar CV? Any anecdotal evidence of people getting faculty jobs without fellowships in the past?

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    1. Yes, people get positions without having past fellowship funding and it is rather common. For candidates in NIH funded fields, a K99 does make a good impression, but not having one definitely doesn't eliminate you.

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  11. University of Maine scheduling prelim interviews.

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  12. What's the fastest turnaround anyone has ever had for an application?
    My shortest time between application and phone interview: 40 days (I ended up getting this job)
    My fastest rejection: 10 days after the application close date. I'd laugh if I weren't crying.

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    1. Shortest between application and first-round interview: 1 day (also ended up choosing to take this job)

      I submitted my application some 10 days after their deadline -- fortunately they were open-minded enough to not throw it out.

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  13. Any word on the Carleton positions?

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  14. Kent State University is scheduling prelim interviews.

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  15. When the 2022-2023 faculty hiring season will start? Is it end of May or last week of June?

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    1. We always start the new cycle the first Tuesday of June. Because of the strange nature of this hiring cycle, we will probably extend active tracking of the 2020-21 hiring cycle into late August.

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  16. Any news from Syracuse computational position and U of Akron P Chem position?

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  17. Did anyone who applied to the 2021 acs postdoc to faculty workshop receive a decision?

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    1. I emailed them yesterday asking for a decision.

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    2. I emailed them last week but didn't get a response yet.

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    3. Got a rejection email from them

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    4. Got rejected from ACS P2F workshop. My profile is not even eligible for ACS P2F workshop, it is a complete joke that I am looking for faculty position. How more competitive life will get!!!

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    5. If you think this is hypercompetitive and stressful, just wait until you're trying to get grant money to support your research. Looking back, getting a job was a walk a in the park compared to to the non-stop hustle to get grants. Just sayin'.

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  18. Received rejection for MIT stating that the search committee has closed the search.

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    1. We use the same ambiguous terminology when we end a search, and I really don't like it. "Closing a search" could mean that (1) an offer was made and accepted, (2) an offer was made and declined with no plan to make an offer to someone else, (3) no offers were made (failed search). Knowing the outcome of the search probably doesn't matter to a lot of applicants, but a "failed search" is sometimes easier on the ego. For example, a good friend of mine applied to an open-rank position in my department. Having a slight conflict of interest, I stayed at arm's length during the deliberations. Although we had many good candidates, the majority decision was to call a failed search because none of the applicants (my friend included) were considered ideal fits for the vacant position. When I was finally able to discuss the decision, my friend indicated that he'd rather be part of a failed search that was narrow in scope than be passed over for a "better" candidate during a broad search. I'm not sure why the rejection letters have to be so obtuse; just say "Thanks, but no thanks, we're going with someone else" or "The search failed to identify a candidate whose specialized skillset matched the needs of the department". Sorry about the rant, it's just a pet peeve of mine.

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    2. I'm the other way around. I can accept that they found another candidate who was a better fit for the position than me, but seeing a job I applied or interviewed for re-posted really bothers me.

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  19. Can anyone give advice about moving to a tenure-track (or tenured) position at a different R1 institution while being a tenure-track professor elsewhere (always R1) ? I read the discussion on Thread 6 and I would like to continue by asking: Where does one get their reference letters? Are they necessary? Are assistant professors approached by other departments or can they apply regularly? Thanks

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  20. Reference letters are necessary if they are specifically requested because some automated HR systems won't make application materials available to the search committee until the application is complete. An endowed chair position might not require letters, but the candidates for these are usually being poached or courted anyway. Assistant professors may be approached directly (poaching again) by another department, but usually not unless that individual has made a big name for themselves. In most cases, a regular application will be sufficient and your circumstances and objectives can be succinctly captured in your cover letter (yes, we read cover letters, but only if they're useful or interesting). I'm not aware of any ironclad rules about where letters should come from, but my personal opinion is that letters supporting T/TT faculty should come from peers or collaborators rather than graduate or postdoctoral advisors. A strong letter from a well-known advisor can make a good impression, but at this stage you should be emphasizing your independent career accomplishments. If I were sending out an application today and letters were required, I'd get at least one from a colleague at my current institution and least one from a collaborator with whom I've published or secured grant funding. (Incidentally, inviting departmental colleagues to make small contributions to papers is a great way to build the kind of goodwill that you want from a recommender. I think too many T/TT faculty hold the misguided opinion that including other faculty on a paper somehow dilutes the impact.)

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  21. Did Caltech and UC Berkeley send out rejection emails to all applicants?

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  22. Did anyone hear from WUSTL theory search with data science emphasis? Their deadline was early May for some reason.

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  23. I don't know if anyone's still reading this thread, but I thought I'd share this oddity. I applied for a faculty position, was interviewed over Zoom, then received an invitation for an in-person interview. The only information I was given was a date, not even travel information or an agenda. Three days before the scheduled interview, I sent an email to the committee and department chair to withdraw my application, as I had not made any travel arrangements or received any other indication from the committee or department that I was actually going to interview. I should note that I am currently employed and might have been more inclined to jump through strange hoops if I were desperate for a job, but this still struck me as being very unprofessional. I hope this was just an isolated incident and that other folks aren't dealing with the same level of professional discourtesy on a regular basis.

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    1. The hiring process is often a disorganized mess in industry too. Sounds like a ball-drop situation where whoever invited you thought the department secretary took care of your travel arrangements, but forgot to ask her to do it. Might have been an isolated screwup rather than a sign of a bad workplace.

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    2. well, seems like a reminder to the search/dept chair would do the justice. TBH they might see you being unprofessional – withdrawing the application for this reason...

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  24. In case anyone is left over here...

    Tufts is looking for part-time lecturers this fall to cover three courses, in analytical and inorganic chemistry: https://apply.interfolio.com/87760 and https://apply.interfolio.com/87971

    Part-time lecturer positions are covered by a CBA: https://as.tufts.edu/sites/default/files/CBApartTimeLecturers.pdf

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  25. Tufts is also looking for a full-time lecturer to teach upper-level laboratory-based courses, starting Fall 2021. The position description: https://apply.interfolio.com/89183 looks like they want to make a long-term hire.

    Full-time lecturer positions are also covered by a CBA: https://as.tufts.edu/sites/default/files/CBAfullTimeLecturers.pdf

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  26. Not sure if anyone is still reading here. I am still waiting for my almost last chance. I got some hint in the interview that they probably want to open an additional place for me. Recently I got a reply saying that they are "working out the position details with the Dean’s and Provost’s offices". Does anyone has some experience about such status?
    It is already summer (and it's an R1), if I were offered, is it still ok to ask for a second visit (with my family)?
    I feel lack of energy to start another cycle again.

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    1. With a nice pool, a department will often try to get permission for a second offer. This requires more funds, part of which usually come from the college (Dean) and university (Provost), hence the working out. It's promising.

      Yes. The extra few grand to fly you and the fam in is not a deal-breaker, if they send you an offer they're committed and they'd not rescind over that. At the worst, they'll just say no, make up your mind. Keep in mind they're tired too. That wouldn't stop you+fam from visiting on your own of course, or requesting an extension in the decision timeline so you can set that up on your own. I hope it comes through!

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    2. Thank you so much for the encouraging reply! Hopefully, they will offer the position for the fall or maybe spring. But I think I may still need to get prepared for the coming application season.

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looks like Blogger doesn't work with anonymous comments from Chrome browsers at the moment - works in Microsoft Edge, or from Chrome with a Blogger account - sorry! CJ 3/21/20