The 2022 Faculty Jobs List: 16 research/teaching positions

The 2022 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 16 research/teaching positions. 

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

On June 30, 2020, the 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 8 research/teaching positions and 2 teaching assistant professor positions. On July 2, 2019, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 17 positions.

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

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Go to the first open thread. 

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

The 2021 Faculty Jobs List: 341 research/teaching positions and 72 teaching faculty positions

The 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 341 research/teaching positions and 72 teaching assistant professor positions. We will continue tracking until August 31, 2021.  

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 June 2, 2020, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 557 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?  Go to the seventh open thread. 

Go to the sixth open thread, which closed on April 21, 2021. Here's the fifth open thread, which closed on March 16, 2021. Here's the fourth open thread, which closed on February 16, 2021. Here's the third open thread, which closed on January 20, 2021. Click here for the second thread, which closed on December 22. Click here for the first open thread, which closed on November 11, 2020.

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

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 33 positions

 The Academic Staff Jobs list has 33 positions.

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

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

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

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

Contractors accidentally started Rockton chemical plant fire

Via ABC7 in Chicago: 

Rockton Fire Chief Kirk Wilson said in a press release Friday that the June 13 fire at the Chemtool plant near Rockton started when contractors were replacing insulation on an elevated heat transfer piping network. The system heats vessels used in the manufacture of lubricating greases.

"At the present time, the most credible scenario is that the scissor lift struck a valve or other piece of piping with sufficient mechanical force to cause the release of mineral oil," Wilson said. "Chemtool operators promptly detected the release and shut down the boiler. They were in the process of placing containment booms, as well as de-pressuring the heat transfer piping network, when the fire ignited."

Wilson did not say what ignited the oil, and he was not available for further comment. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

I imagine that the mineral oil was hot and ignited something flammable? Will be interesting to see the ultimate Chemical Safety Board report. 

(Here's the chief's full press release.) 

C&EN: ACC projects recovery of chemical industry sales in 2021

From this week's C&EN, the ACC's latest projections for 2021 and beyond (article by Craig Bettenhausen): 

The US chemical industry is a few months into recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but full recuperation won’t happen until 2023.

That’s the view from the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the US chemical industry’s main trade association. US chemical sales should recover this year, the ACC says, with a projected total of $525 billion, not including pharmaceuticals, up from $486 billion in 2020 and $509 billion in 2019. But employment, capital expenditures, and production volumes won’t return to prepandemic levels until late 2022 or early 2023, ACC predicts.

The article notes that the US chemical industry lost 14,800 jobs during 2020. Considering that the level of employment of all employees in chemical manufacturing during January 2020 was 854,700, that's a pretty minimal loss. 

The ACC expects strong chemical demand through 2021 from consumer-focused industries such as auto, construction, and durable goods. That notion is supported by projections from the World Bank, which said in June that the overall US gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of economic growth, will be up by 6.8% for the year.

Moore’s colleague, Kevin Swift, warns that inflation could constrain recovery in the US and worldwide. He says a related concern among his peers at other industry groups is employee and supply shortages. “It’s all they talk about. They can’t get labor, they can’t get materials.” Swift calls out foams, semiconductors, and lumber as being in especially short supply, with the kinked supply chains expected to continue at least into the fall.

I imagine that labor shortages are short-term good for chemists? 

Have a good weekend

Well, we made it another week. Had my first lunch out with old friends in a long time. Have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Monday. 

Are chemists quitting their jobs more?

Via the New York Times, quits are on the rise in the broader economy: 

At some point early this year, Justin Hoffman concluded that he was being underpaid.

The marketing director at an orthopedic practice in Findlay, Ohio, Mr. Hoffman was making $42,000 a year — about $13,000 less, by his count, than people were making in similar jobs elsewhere.

But when he asked for a raise in March, he was given only a small bump in pay. “That was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.

So after some careful thinking, Mr. Hoffman, 28, did what he had long ached to do: He quit. His last day was June 4.

Mr. Hoffman is among millions of workers who have voluntarily left their jobs recently, one of the most striking elements of the newly blazing-hot job market. According to the Labor Department, nearly four million people quit their jobs in April, the most on record, pushing the rate to 2.7 percent of those employed.

...The rate was particularly high in the leisure and hospitality industry, where competition for workers has been especially fierce. But the number of those quitting registered across the board.

Economists believe that one reason more workers are quitting is simply a backlog: By some estimates, more than five million fewer people quit last year than would otherwise be expected, as some workers, riding out the labor market’s convulsions, stuck with jobs they may have wanted to leave anyway. 

Here's the latest JOLTS data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I don't have any evidence from my personal experience that chemists are quitting their jobs more, either industrial or academic. If you stopped me on the street and said "how is the market for industrial chemists these days?" I would probably say, "it's not bad, definitely better than it was 10 years ago" and leave it at that, but I haven't noticed a lot of quitting/moving to new positions in my social circle. 

Readers, what are you seeing out there? 

56 new positions at Organic Chemistry Jobs

Common Organic Chemistry is resolving some technical difficulties, but has ported over the list to Google Drive for now. There are 33 new positions for June 19 and 23 new positions for June 17. 

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

Stealing 21 tons of pistachios? Why not?

I don't know why I love these stories, but I do (via the New York Times): 

A California pistachio company was conducting a routine audit when it noticed something suspicious: About 42,000 pounds of pistachios — nearly enough to fill a truck trailer — were missing.

Officials of the company, Touchstone Pistachio, called the agricultural crimes unit of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. Within days, after checking surveillance footage, sheriff’s deputies arrested 34-year-old Alberto Montemayor, who had been working for Montemayor Trucking, a family-owned business that the pistachio company had hired this year as a contractor, according to the authorities.

Mr. Montemayor was charged with grand theft, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Sgt. Joseph England, who leads the agricultural crimes unit, said it was not uncommon for people to steal nuts in many of California’s rural counties, where farming drives the local economies. The product isn’t easily traced, he said.

But 42,000 pounds of pistachios wasn’t something he’d seen before.

“That was pretty large,” Sergeant England said. “You don’t come across that every day.”

...While 21-ton nut thefts don’t occur often in Tulare County, it’s not unheard-of, Sergeant England said. Nuts are big business in the region, and agricultural thefts are significant enough that the sheriff’s office created its agricultural crimes unit in 1996.

Stealing a truck full of nuts! Who would have thought? (The article indicates that it's pretty easy to put stolen nuts back into the supply chain, which is pretty important. This is why, I presume, why there aren't more theft of bulk chemicals, i.e. you can't move drums of toluene easily in the secondary market.)  

NYT obituary of Professor Ei-ichi Negishi

Via the New York Times: 

Ei-ichi Negishi, who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2010 for developing techniques now ubiquitous in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, died on June 6 in Indianapolis. He was 85.

His death, at a hospital, was announced by Purdue University, where Dr. Negishi was a professor for four decades. No cause was given.

Interesting detail from Professor Tour: 

Dr. Tour said Dr. Negishi had pursued research that he thought was Nobel-worthy. “He dreamed about it,” Dr. Tour said. “He often discussed the Nobel Prize. And what would have to be done to win this.”

To that end, Dr. Negishi could be relentless. “He was extremely exacting,” Dr. Tour said. “He had no trouble pushing people to the point of tears at a blackboard.”

Didn't know it took a Fulbright to bring Prof. Negishi to America: 

After graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1958 with a bachelor of engineering degree, he worked as a research chemist at the Iwakuni Research Laboratories in Japan. By his account, he realized that he needed more academic training but felt that graduate school was financially out of reach.

His fortunes changed in 1960, however, when he won a Fulbright scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania.

Don't miss the detail about the Nobel Prize medal at the end. 

The 2022 Faculty Jobs List: 14 research/teaching positions

The 2022 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 14 research/teaching positions. 

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

On June 23, 2020, the 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 7 research/teaching positions and 2 teaching assistant professor positions.

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

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Go to the first open thread. 

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

Job posting: Professor of Battery Electrochemistry and Materials, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

From the inbox, a position at ETH Zurich: 

The Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences (www.chab.ethz.ch) at ETH Zurich and the Energy and Environment Research Division at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villigen (www.psi.ch) invite applications for a joint professorship in Battery Electrochemistry and Materials.

The new professor will lead, in a joint appointment with ETH Zurich, a Laboratory for Battery Electrochemistry at PSI, and will thus benefit from the access to PSI’s unique large-​scale experimental facilities and analytical infrastructure (Swiss Light Source, Swiss Neutron Source and the Swiss Free Electron Laser). An excellent international record of research accomplishments in the following areas is anticipated (non-​exhaustive list): experimental and computational discovery, structural and morphological engineering of novel battery materials (electrodes, electrolytes etc.), diverse battery concepts (Na-​ion batteries, all solid-​state batteries, multivalent intercalation etc.), in situ/operando analytics and characterization of batteries.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.  

Job posting: visiting assistant professor, Daemen College, Amherst, NY

From the inbox: 

The Natural Sciences department at Daemen College invites applications for a one year visiting assistant professor of chemistry teaching position. The successful candidate will be responsible for teaching 8 courses (lectures and labs) in the areas of General Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry. All applicants must be willing and able to teach in face to face and online modalities. Find out more about our program: https://www.daemen.edu/academics/areas-study/natural-sciences

A Ph. D in analytical chemistry, physical chemistry or a related discipline is required; candidates who will complete their Ph. D during the 2021-2022 academic year will also be considered.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2021 Faculty Jobs List: 339 research/teaching positions and 72 teaching faculty positions

The 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 339 research/teaching positions and 72 teaching assistant professor positions. We will continue tracking into August 2021. 

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 June 2, 2020, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 557 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?  Go to the seventh open thread. 

Go to the sixth open thread, which closed on April 21, 2021. Here's the fifth open thread, which closed on March 16, 2021. Here's the fourth open thread, which closed on February 16, 2021. Here's the third open thread, which closed on January 20, 2021. Click here for the second thread, which closed on December 22. Click here for the first open thread, which closed on November 11, 2020.

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

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 29 positions

The Academic Staff Jobs list has 29 positions.

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

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

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

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

What is this hunk of ice?

A chemical mystery from the air: 

Probably doesn't taste very good
Credit: WQOW

EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) -- You were probably wondering, "what in the world is that?" when News 18 told you about the 12-pound ice chunk that put a hole through the bedroom ceiling of an Elk Mound home back in May.

UW-Eau Claire chemists aren't 100-percent sure what this icy object is and now, they're digging into what that ice chunk is made of with one simple question... What is this thing?

Meteorologist Justin Esterly went over to UWEC's chemistry lab to see how they plan to solve this mystery.

Back in late May, a 12 pound chunk of ice came crashing through an Elk Mound family's bedroom ceiling causing thousands of dollars in damage.

“We think, it's likely to be a megacryometeor,” said Chemistry & Biochemistry Professor Dr. James Boulter. “These have been observed around the world to a tune of maybe a dozen or so a year.”

Sounds like they're going to do some isotopic analysis on the organic contents of this megacryometeor. All things considered, I'd rather not have interesting scientific problems crash through the roof of my house. 

The meandering paths of a Nobel-prize winning chemist

Via the New York Times, an interesting obituary of Richard Ernst with these fascinating details: 

He earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry at ETH Zurich in 1956 and then briefly served in the Swiss military before returning to ETH for a doctorate in physical chemistry, which he earned in 1962.

He married Magdalena Kielholz the next year. Survivors include his wife and their three children, Anna, Katharina and Hans-Martin. Matthias Ernst, his former student, said Dr. Ernst died in a retirement home.

In 1963, Dr. Ernst joined the technology company Varian Associates in Palo Alto, Calif., as a scientist. It was there that he developed F.T.-N.M.R.

I imagine his military service was just a couple of years - can't imagine what the chemical world would like if there was mandatory 2- or 3-year military service in the United States in modern times before they went to graduate school. Also interesting that Professor Ernst worked in industry before he became a professor!  

Have a good weekend

 

Well, we made it to the end of the week. Here's hoping that your week was more chill than mine, and hope you have a great weekend. See you on Monday. 

Great article about the Pfizer Kalamazoo manufacturing plant

Via the Washington Post: 

Two days later, project manager Melissa French, who started working at the plant 27 years ago when she was a biology student at Western Michigan University, was called into work on the vaccine project to help Pfizer produce its own supplies of a rare but vital ingredient for a vaccine nanoparticle.

Kalamazoo was the only site with specialized chromatography equipment that could produce the ingredient, a special fatty compound called an ionizable cationic lipid, at large scale. French told her two children and two stepchildren — all under 11 — that her planned two-week Christmas break was canceled.

As she walked chemists and engineers through the complex challenge in a Dec. 15 kickoff meeting, French’s emotions surged as she read the bullet points out loud on her presentation.

“I cried a little. I choked up,” French said. “It looks boring, and then there’s a simple slide that says ‘Why is this so important? Because the world needs us, and people are dying of covid-19.’ And to say it out loud, when we needed that vaccine, and we were all cooped up at home …”

French led a team of 40 people who swarmed the problem from all angles, designing and assembling the equipment in a little over a month. It required exhaustive safety reviews. Highly flammable solvents are used to make lipids, so cellphones must be encased in special covers to prevent errant sparks. By Jan. 20 they began the complex, multistep process of preparing the first batch.

The ionizable cationic lipid is the linchpin of a nanoparticle. Of four lipids required, it is used in the greatest quantities. It changes its electrical charge when it enters a human cell, opening the nanoparticle and releasing the mRNA payload. Without it, a nanoparticle vaccine will not work.

“When we put product in the tank, there was an audience,” she said. “A bunch of the chemists came, and these floor operators were saying, ‘Why do we have an audience?’”

Great article, read the whole thing. 

Happy that they were successful. Best wishes to them, and to all of us. 

Tennessee jury hangs on a Justice Department prosecution of a UT-Knoxville professor

From the Knoxville News-Sentinel, this update from the Department of Justice's China Initiative: 

The federal Justice Department's first prosecution in the nation under the Trump administration's "China Initiative" fizzled Wednesday when an East Tennessee jury deadlocked after two days of deliberation.

Now the Justice Department will have to decide whether to mount a second prosecution of former University of Tennessee at Knoxville associate professor Dr. Anming Hu, who was accused by the FBI of intentionally trying to defraud NASA by hiding his part-time work at the Beijing University of Technology.

The court did not make public how many of the jurors — four women and eight men, all white — refused to convict.

Defense attorney Phil Lomonaco called it a victory for Hu and his family.

Trial testimony has shown federal agents falsely accused Hu of spying for China based solely on a Google search. After he refused to work as a spy for the U.S. government, agents stalked and harassed him for more than two years, leading to the destruction of his reputation and internationally renowned career.

It will be interesting to see what the Biden Administration does with the China Initiative, especially in regards to the Charles Lieber case. Perhaps this was a case where the relevant FBI agent wasn't very convincing, and that's what the jury hung on. 

29 new positions at Organic Chemistry Jobs

Common Organic Chemistry is resolving some technical difficulties, but has ported over the list to Google Drive for now. There are 29 new positions for June 12.

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

Tennessee chemist starts food truck

Via Nashville TV station WSMV: 

LEBANON, TN (WSMV) – A Lebanon woman has left behind the world of environmental chemistry to run a food truck.

For 20 years, Gina Hayes worked as an Environmental Chemist in Nashville, making sure the water was drinkable. One year ago, Hayes dumped the lab coat for an apron.

“I was a chemist at an environmental corporation,” Hayes said. “Important work, good pay, and prestige, but out here seemed better.”

Her food truck Hillbilly Shack Delights is between Carthage and Lebanon. She makes cheeseburgers, bacon cheeseburgers, quesadillas, burritos, and chicken Philly cheese steaks.

“It was my dream actually from the beginning,” Hayes said. “Making people happy with food.”

Gotta say, Hillbilly Shack Delights sounds like a good place to have lunch. I would really like to own and run a 24-hour diner someday, but I imagine it's pretty hard work.  

Chemical facility fire in Rockton, IL

From the Associated Press: 

ROCKTON, Ill. (AP) — An industrial firefighting team continued battling a fire Tuesday that has consumed an chemical plant in northern Illinois and forced the evacuation of nearby homes and businesses.

Before pouring fire-fighting foam on the Chemtool plant in Rockton, Louisiana-based U.S. Fire Pumps dug a trench around the facility and installed absorbent booms along the Rock River to prevent residual material from escaping into the village’s source of drinking water.

Rockton fire Chief Kirk Wilson said the smoke plume from the fire has dissipated substantially as a result of U.S. Fire Pumps’ effort

“This is their forte. This is what they do,” Wilson said, adding the company has larger pumps and a larger delivery capability to battle the fire than local fire departments. “At this point in time we have detected no visible runoff into the waterway (that) is just west of Chemtool and to our main waterway.”

If you've seen the pictures, you'll know they're quite dramatic. The CSB views this as a fire event, and not a chemical process safety event. It will be interesting to see what caused it.  

The 2022 Faculty Jobs List: 9 research/teaching positions

The 2022 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 9 research/teaching positions. 

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

On June 9, 2020, the 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 5 research/teaching positions. 

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

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Go to the first open thread. 

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

Job posting: Instrumentation Specialist, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH

From the inbox: 

The Center for Photochemical Sciences is home to some of the most cutting edge, and in some cases unique, spectroscopic instrumentation in the world. These instruments require routine maintenance and repairs by an expert. The position is needed to enhance the student learning experience on the BGSU campus, and to accelerate the research efforts of our faculty. Both undergraduate and graduate students will be given hands–on training on some of the sophisticated and modern techniques. Our equipment necessitates a staff member who is an expert in the field and is capable of managing and training students on photophysical techniques such as laser flash photolysis, emission spectrometers (fluorescence and phosphorescence) under both steady state and time resolved modes, operation of lasers, time correlated single photon counting equipment, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, etc. In addition, the staff member should be well versed with two photon excitation techniques.

Essential Duties, Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Maintenance and upkeep of photophysical equipment such as laser flash photolysis, emission spectrometers (fluorescence and phosphorescence) under both steady state and time resolved modes, operation of lasers, optical setups, near-IR emission measurements/setups, time correlated single photon counting, electron paramagnetic resonance.
• Establish and oversee a training protocol for students on the proper use of the photophysical instrumentation.  Manage a process to certify students on each instrument.  Schedule training sessions at appropriate times in the semester.
• Maintain documentation of analytical routines/standard operation procedures and instrument performance. Carry out minor repairs based on performance issues, and/or call for service from manufacturers for assistance with major problems.
• Carry out routine preventative maintenance and minor repairs on all photophysical instruments (above).

Minimum Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in chemistry or a closely related field (e.g. Photochemical Sciences, Physics, Materials Science) is required.  A Doctoral degree in the field is highly preferred.  Successful candidate must have Master’s degree conferred at the time of application. 

Deadline is today, June 15, 2021. Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2021 Faculty Jobs List: 340 research/teaching positions and 70 teaching faculty positions

The 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 340 research/teaching positions and 70 teaching assistant professor positions. We will continue tracking into August 2021. 

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 June 2, 2020, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 557 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?  Go to the seventh open thread. 

Go to the sixth open thread, which closed on April 21, 2021. Here's the fifth open thread, which closed on March 16, 2021. Here's the fourth open thread, which closed on February 16, 2021. Here's the third open thread, which closed on January 20, 2021. Click here for the second thread, which closed on December 22. Click here for the first open thread, which closed on November 11, 2020.

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

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 27 positions

The Academic Staff Jobs list has 27 positions.

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

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

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

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

Chemical effects of the 2020 Beirut explosion

In this week's Chemical and Engineering News, Benjamin Plackett interviews Professor Najat Saliba, an atmospheric chemist at the American University of Beirut: 

On top of all this, the explosion in August emitted vast amounts of chemicals into the atmosphere. What effects did the explosion have?

No glass door or window on campus remained in place after the explosion. The university paid over $10 million to repair the damage.

The army wouldn’t let scientists go inside the port to take samples, but my lab took rubble samples close to the port where the blast happened. We were mostly interested in asbestos because we had learned that’s what most of the port was made of. Luckily, we didn’t find any. However, the samples didn’t come from the port itself, so they’re not conclusive.

We were worried that asbestos might trail into the city through the air, so we collected air samples in a couple of places inside the city and sent them to labs in France and Switzerland for analysis. However, due to the pandemic, everything has been put on hold, and the testing hasn’t yet confirmed or denied the presence of asbestos or other toxic substances. Nothing about this explosion has been clear.

I think it's safe to say that the effects of aerosolizing a huge amount of inorganic matter and having people breathe it would be bad - can't imagine the long-term damage if it were actually reasonably high-levels of asbestos within...

FDA releases memo on Emergent Biosolutions cross-contamination problem

Words you do not want to be in a FDA report about your vaccine manufacturing facility (emphasis mine): 

On March 26, 2021, Janssen notified FDA that they had detected AZ COVID-19 Vaccine virus in the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine DS batch 21003600 (GMP8). This batch was produced during a period when Emergent implemented measures to handle increased waste production.

FDA subsequently engaged actively with Emergent and Janssen to facilitate the investigation of the root cause of this contamination event. It was concluded that most probable contributing root cause was that the bioreactor media prepared for use in the cell expansion process at that time was contaminated in the common weigh and dispense area through contact with the waste path for materials from Area 3 (AZ manufacturing area).

One of the weirder books I have seen in my life (not that weird really) is about GMP design of manufacturing facilities, and when I flipped through the book, there was a section about how you want products to flow in a specific direction, and for there not to be any cross-contamination. Now I guess we know why. 

Have a great weekend

Well, we made it through the week. I hope you made it intact (only got part of my ear chewed off today, but that's all right.) Have a great weekend, and see you on Monday. 

Dashboard... Classroom?

Also in this week's C&EN, a fun article from Bethany Halford on the weird places that Zoom has taken us: 

University of California, Davis, chemistry professor Dean Tantillo brings new meaning to the phrase “zooming around in the car.” The combination of no office space in his house, curious young children, and limited childcare forced Tantillo, who has been teaching remotely this academic year, to log on from the front seat of his car for classes and meetings.

“It’s like being in an airplane, but you’ve got more space,” Tantillo tells Newscripts of his car schooling. He uses a small dry-erase board for teaching and a power inverter to plug his laptop into the car’s cigarette lighter. He also has a small tray that attaches to the steering wheel where he can rest his computer. Most days, Tantillo teaches from his driveway, but sometimes he parks outside the city library for a change of scenery.

Tantillo’s 2-year-old daughter occasionally naps in the backseat while he’s teaching or in a meeting. He says seeing her on screen is a good reminder that being a parent is not easy, particularly with the childcare challenges of the pandemic. “I don’t mind my students knowing that I’m a human,” he says.

Click through for the excellent headshot. The weirdest place I've had a work-related Zoom meeting was my garage (definitely went for the camera-off option.) Readers, where have you done your online meetings? 

42 new positions at Organic Chemistry Jobs

Common Organic Chemistry is resolving some technical difficulties, but has ported over the list to Google Drive for now. There are 39 new positions for June 7.

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

NYT: job seekers are gathering more power

Via the New York Times, interesting news as to the state of the job market: 

The relationship between American businesses and their employees is undergoing a profound shift: For the first time in a generation, workers are gaining the upper hand.

The change is broader than the pandemic-related signing bonuses at fast-food places. Up and down the wage scale, companies are becoming more willing to pay a little more, to train workers, to take chances on people without traditional qualifications, and to show greater flexibility in where and how people work.

...But the demographic picture is not becoming any more favorable for employers eager to fill positions. Population growth for Americans between ages 20 and 64 turned negative last year for the first time in the nation’s history. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the potential labor force will grow a mere 0.3 percent to 0.4 percent annually for the remainder of the 2020s; the size of the work force rose an average of 0.8 percent a year from 2000 to 2020.

For those of you who have read the blog from the start, this is some old news with some new changes: 

Efforts like the one at I.B.M. are, to some degree, a rediscovery in the value of investing in workers.

“I do think companies need to relearn some things,” said Byron Auguste, chief executive of Opportunity at Work, an organization devoted to encouraging job opportunities for people from all backgrounds. “A lot of companies, after the recessions in 2001 and 2008, dismantled their onboarding and training infrastructure and said that’s a cost we can’t afford.

“But it turns out, you actually do need to develop your own workers and can’t just depend on hiring.”

Turns out! What a shock! Well, I'm glad that some companies are finally learning the lesson that employee recruiting and engagement should not be neglected...

The 2022 Faculty Jobs List: 8 research/teaching positions

 The 2022 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 8 research/teaching positions. 

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

On June 9, 2020, the 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 5 research/teaching positions. 

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

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Go to the first open thread. 

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

The 2021 Faculty Jobs List: 339 research/teaching positions and 67 teaching faculty positions

The 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 339 research/teaching positions and 67 teaching assistant professor positions. We will continue tracking into August 2021. 

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 June 2, 2020, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 557 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?  Go to the seventh open thread. 

Go to the sixth open thread, which closed on April 21, 2021. Here's the fifth open thread, which closed on March 16, 2021. Here's the fourth open thread, which closed on February 16, 2021. Here's the third open thread, which closed on January 20, 2021. Click here for the second thread, which closed on December 22. Click here for the first open thread, which closed on November 11, 2020.

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

Postdoctoral position: Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM

From the inbox: 

The Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) in the Materials Physics and Applications Division (MPA-CINT) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is seeking candidates for a postdoctoral associate in nanoparticle synthesis and in-situ transmission electron microscopy. Project work involves developing new colloidal syntheses for novel nanocrystalline intermetallics/alloys of transition metals with main group elements for catalytic applications and investigating their structural evolution using in situ electron microscopy. A strong candidate will have experience with organometallic and cluster chemistry, colloidal synthesis, electron microscopy, including environmental and in-situ methods (heating holders, gas flow etc.) Many other characterization facilities are available at CINT. Candidates are expected to collaborate with scientists at different organizations (e.g., National High Magnetic Field Laboratory) to perform cutting-edge materials science research which supports Laboratory missions and maintains Laboratory Excellence in Science and Technology.

The Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies is a national user facility funded by the DOE Office of Science to provide research capabilities in nanoscience to a worldwide community of users. The MPA-CINT group stewards the CINT Gateway facility at LANL, which together with the Core facility at Sandia National Laboratory form the entire CINT user facility. Scientific thrusts in CINT include: Nanophotonics and Optical Nanomaterials; Quantum Materials Systems; Soft, Biological and Composite Nanomaterials; and In-Situ Characterization and Nanomechanics. Additional information on the user facility is available at https://cint.lanl.gov .

Minimum Job Requirements:

A Ph.D. in Chemistry or Materials Science is required together with a strong background and hands-on experience in the inorganic or organometallic synthesis together with extensive experience with transmission electron microscopy. Excellent written and oral communication skills as demonstrated by writing and/or editing technical journals, papers or proposals. Strong interpersonal and communication skills as demonstrated by experience with public speaking (speaking at conferences, workshop, seminar, etc); experience analyzing and presenting technical information and data to the scientific community. Ability to work creatively and independently on multiple projects as demonstrated by meeting deadlines, goals and requirements.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with environmental transmission electron microscopy, in-situ holders, and direct detection cameras
• Experience working with catalytic systems
• Experience with image analysis in a coding language (e.g., Python, Matlab)
• Ability to obtain a DOE Q clearance, which normally requires U.S. Citizenship

Education: Ph.D. in Chemistry, Materials Science, or closely related fields, completed within the last five years or soon to be completed.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.

Chemistry Bumper Cars

Check out the latest moves here! 

To submit information, click here or e-mail chembumpercars@gmail.com

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 24 positions

 The Academic Staff Jobs list has 24 positions.

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

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

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

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

Chemical plant in Switzerland hit by ransomware

From this week's issue of C&EN (article by Rick Mullin): 

The Swiss pharmaceutical services firm Siegfried says it is beginning to ramp up production after ceasing operations at multiple sites in response to a malware attack it detected May 21. Operations at the firm’s Hameln, Germany, site, where it provides fill-and-finish services for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, restarted during the week of May 31. Siegfried says it anticipates a revenue shortfall in the first half of the year as a result of the outage, but it expects to recoup losses by the end of the year.

I don't know what to do about ransomware other than to insist on better IT security practices? Time for the world to fight the online version of the Barbary Wars?  

Job posting: laboratory technician, Novaloop, Menlo Park, CA

From the inbox: 

We are seeking experienced Laboratory Technicians to help with chemistry research and process operations. We accept local applicants with the status for US employment. Requirement: experience running chemical reactions and processes in a chemistry wet lab.

This is a full-time position in Menlo Park, CA. We accept local applicants with the status for US employment.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Job posting: Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Reviews Methods Primers, London, UK

From the inbox: 

Closing date: 7th June 2021

Nature Reviews Methods Primers has an exciting vacancy for an Associate or Senior Editor.

Nature Reviews Methods Primers (https://www.nature.com/nrmp/) covers analytical, applied, statistical, theoretical and computational methods used in the life and physical sciences. The journal is aimed at a broad, interdisciplinary audience of researchers at all career stages, providing them with the information to evaluate and apply methods to conduct their research, with a strong focus on enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration and providing guidance, from experts, on reproducibility and open science. The role is busy and varied. This exciting position will work closely with the small, in-house journal team, and liaise directly with the internationally renowned researchers and contributors.

Key tasks include commissioning and editing for all editorial sections, organizing peer-review, and writing PrimeView summaries.

The ideal candidate will have the following key attributes: a relevant chemical sciences degree to PhD level; a demonstrable ability to edit text for sense, clarity, factual correctness and language; experience that indicates a proactive approach and excellent organizational skills. An important aspect of the job is liaising with the scientific community and attending international conferences, so the successful candidate must be dynamic and outgoing, be prepared to travel and have excellent interpersonal skills. Training will be provided, but prior editorial experience may be advantageous.

Full ad here. Best wishes to all interested. 

Postdoctoral position: computational catalysis, Ye Lab, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

From the inbox: 

A postdoctoral research position in Computational Catalysis is available in the lab of Professor Jingyun Ye. This research focuses on large-scale screening of potential catalysts for CO2 conversion.

The initial appointment is for one year and is renewable upon mutual agreement based on satisfactory performance and funds availability.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in computational chemistry, material science, physics or related fields.

Preferred Minimum Experience:

• Familiarity with one or more computational chemistry software; such as CP2K, VASP, ASE, Gaussian, Turbomole, NWChem, QuantumEspresso
• Experience working with computational study of catalysis, electro-catalysis, photocatalysis, semiconductor
• Experience working with big data analysis, machine-learning techniques
• Good experience in 1 or more programming/scripting languages like Python, MATLAB, C/C++/C#

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Job posting: analytical chemistry postdoc, Los Alamos National Laboratories, Los Alamos, NM

From the inbox: 

Q-5 is seeking a postdoctoral applicant for opportunities in high explosives characterization with a focus in analytical chemistry specifically in the areas of chromatography, mass spectrometry, and chemometrics. General areas of interest to our group include aging of plastic bonded explosives, understanding the chemical and physical relationship of polymers, and synthesis/impurity profiling in explosives. Positions will be awarded to candidates demonstrating exceptional talent with a successful collaborative and scientific track record.

Responsibilities for the selected candidate will entail:

• Developing new chromatographic and chemometric methodologies for analysis of explosives, plastic bonded explosives (PBXs), and polymers
• Application of these techniques to samples of interest
• Contribute to internal reports, progress reports to sponsors, or technical publications in peer-reviewed journals, as appropriate to meet program objectives.

Minimum Job Requirements:

• Ability to work effectively in a team with the ability to apply knowledge to a wide array of technical problems
• Have a track record of publications and experience presenting at conferences.
• Ability to obtain a Q clearance, which generally requires US citizenship.
• Wide array of general analytical chemistry skills
• Experience with a wide array of chromatography systems which may include: gas chromatography with time of flight mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography
• Demonstrated ability to conduct high precision measurements and data acquisition are essential

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with explosive materials through handling or synthesis
• Multi-dimensional chromatography preferably in liquid chromatography
• Experience with chemometrics including PCA, PLS-DA, and PLS-R
• MATLAB, Python, or LABVIEW programming experience are useful for data acquisition and processing

Education:   A PhD in analytical chemistry or closely related field within the last 5 years or soon to be completed.  The candidate must have completed all Ph.D. requirements by commencement of appointment.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2022 Faculty Jobs List: 1 research/teaching position

The 2022 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 1 research/teaching position. 

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

On June 9, 2020, the 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 5 research/teaching 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 serve as the first open thread. 

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

The 2021 Faculty Jobs List: 338 research/teaching positions and 67 teaching faculty positions

The 2021 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 338 research/teaching positions and 67 teaching assistant professor positions. We will continue tracking into August 2021. 

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 May 26, 2020, the 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 557 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?  Go to the seventh open thread. 

Go to the sixth open thread, which closed on April 21, 2021. Here's the fifth open thread, which closed on March 16, 2021. Here's the fourth open thread, which closed on February 16, 2021. Here's the third open thread, which closed on January 20, 2021. Click here for the second thread, which closed on December 22. Click here for the first open thread, which closed on November 11, 2020.

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

Job positing: visiting assitant professor, biochemistry, Connecticut College, New London, CT

From the inbox: 

The Department of Chemistry at Connecticut College seeks applicants for the position of visiting assistant professor for the 2021-22 academic year. Teaching responsibilities include a biochemistry lecture course each semester, with three laboratory sections over the course of the year. The successful candidate should have a PhD in biochemistry or a closely related field and preferably some prior teaching experience at the undergraduate level. This is a benefits eligible position.

Connecticut College is a private, highly selective institution with a demonstrated commitment to outstanding faculty teaching and research. Recognizing that intellectual vitality and diversity are inseparable, the College has embarked on a significantly successful initiative to diversify its faculty, student body, and curriculum. The College seeks creative scholars excited about working in a liberal arts setting, with its strong focus on engaged teaching, participation in shared governance, and active involvement in an institution-wide advancement of diversity. We encourage applications from candidates who share this understanding of the faculty role and will contribute to the diversity of our college community, including members of historically underrepresented groups. AA/EEO

We value the contributions visitors bring to our community and encourage their active engagement with their departments and all aspects of campus life during the course of their appointment. Visiting faculty are eligible to be voting members of the faculty, and their presence is welcome at all faculty meetings. 

To apply, please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and statement of teaching philosophy to chemsearch@conncoll.edu. Review of applications will begin on May 21 and continue until the position is filled. Questions may be addressed to Tanya Schneider, chair of the Chemistry Department, at tschneid@conncoll.edu.

 Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The Academic Staff Jobs List: 21 positions

The Academic Staff Jobs list has 21 positions.

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

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

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

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