Have a good weekend

Well, this hasn't been the best week, to be honest. Here's hoping we get things done that need to get done. I hope you have a great weekend. See you on Monday. 

Novartis shifting manufacturing due to threat of BIOSECURE Act

Via FiercePharma, this news: 

As the BIOSECURE Act threatens to upend relationships with Chinese contractors and western biopharma companies operating in the U.S., Novartis has elected not to adopt a “wait and see” attitude.

Novartis, like many drugmakers, has ties to Chinese firms in the manufacturing and contract research space, the Swiss pharma’s CFO, Harry Kirsch, said on a press call Tuesday during its first quarter financial results. Amid the threat of a looming biosecurity crackdown by the U.S. government against many of those Chinese biotechs, Novartis is now “actively” managing the situation, Kirsch said.

“So, by the time this comes into effect, we will have no exposure from our planning,” the CFO explained, adding that the situation will be “mitigated in a very reasonable timeframe.”

Kirsch went on to explain that the company is weighing changes to its contracting relationships with Chinese companies “so that we are fully aligned” with potential U.S. regulations.

Novartis’ decision to cut ties with certain Chinese contractors follows the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party’s unveiling of the BIOSECURE Act in January.

The bill, which is still subject to further review and modification before it potentially becomes law, aims to keep U.S. taxpayer dollars out of the hands of “foreign adversary biotech companies” that allegedly pose a national security concern.

I'm surprised to hear this, but I guess this indicates that large pharma companies seem to think that the BIOSECURE Act has a solid chance of passing. I'm genuinely skeptical, but we will see. 

Job posting: scientist, discovery chemistry, Merck

Via Twitter, this tweet from Dani Schultz: 

We have multiple openings in Boston, San Francisco and West Point (PA) spanning Bachelor's, Master’s, entry level PhD and PhD with experience. Go to http://jobs.merck.com and search for ‘Discovery Chemistry’ or ‘Peptide’! 

Here's one of the ads for the West Point site: 

Our company is currently seeking passionate synthetic organic or medicinal chemists for positions within the Discovery Chemistry Department located at our West Point, PA site. The successful candidate will join multidisciplinary, highly collaborative discovery teams to invent novel medicines by applying innovative synthetic chemistry, analytical techniques, and data analysis to design and synthesize drug candidates and intermediates.

Successful candidates must have excellent interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills in a team environment and a proven record of solving complex problems. Additionally, it is expected that the successful candidate will learn quickly through on-the-job training to become increasingly skilled and independent in reaction setup, route design and optimization.

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Collaborative and independent synthetic route design, execution, and optimization to access assigned target molecules using modern synthetic chemistry techniques
• Selection and application of appropriate purification techniques including flash chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and recrystallization
• Acquisition and interpretation of analytical data such as NMR and LC/MS

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.

You can get drunk without drinking alcohol?

Via the New York Times, I learned about auto-brewery syndrome: 

...In Belgium, the brewery worker — a 40-year-old man who wishes to remain anonymous, according to his lawyer — was pulled over by the police in April 2022 and registered a blood-alcohol reading that was more than four times the legal limit. A month later, he was pulled over again and registered more than three times the limit.

It was the third time the man had been cited — he had been pulled over and fined for driving under the influence in 2019. He was unaware that he had A.B.S. until his latest charge — tests administered by three doctors confirmed that he had the condition and validated his claim in court.

“I think he was somehow relieved that he finally knew what was up,” the man’s lawyer, Anse Ghesquiere, said. Her client is now following a strict diet and receiving medical treatment to avoid flare-ups and manage the condition...

According to this paper, it's cured with anti-fungal medication and a low-sugar diet. To be honest, this doesn't sound very fun. 

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 552 research/teaching positions and 86 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 552 research/teaching positions and 86 teaching positions. 

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

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

On April 25, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 622 research/teaching positions and 81 teaching-focused positions.

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

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

C&EN: Disagreement about the decision to vent and burn the vinyl chloride

In this week's issue of Chemical and Engineering News, this comment: 

Thanks for publishing Priyanka Runwal’s fine article on East Palestine, Ohio, in the Feb. 26, 2024, issue of C&EN (page 24).

The Norfolk Southern train derailment should have received a prompt federal response since the onboard cargo was being used in interstate commerce (from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania). The State of Ohio did respond to this disaster, but it took some poking and prodding for the state to act.

I spoke to the governor’s representative in my region, who indicated that the state maintains multiple boards and commissions. The State Emergency Response Commission looked like a good choice for active engagement. But membership was limited to elected officials, emergency management personnel, environmental advocates, firefighters, first responders, industry and trade personnel, law enforcement personnel, and utility personnel. Nothing to engage scientists and engineers in this emergency.

The lack of an expert in science and engineering in charge rendered communication of the facts to residents of East Palestine, people in the nearby communities, and those who sought answers to be spotty at best.

It is my considered opinion that the decision to vent and burn the vinyl chloride was made without expert consultation. As Runwal’s piece noted, former American Chemical Society president William Carroll pointed out in a hearing that the polymerization reaction of vinyl chloride to polyvinyl chloride requires an initiator. Free radicals, such as chemicals containing peroxides, can initiate polymerization. I don’t know whether the conditions existed for the polymerization of vinyl chloride to have occurred.

People in the East Palestine region are still suffering from the response to the derailment. The federal government response to East Palestine must not be the norm, and the states should expand the relevant boards and commissions to include scientists and engineers. In events such as East Palestine, the designated scientists and engineers would handle communicating the facts to those in the impacted communities and beyond.

ACS should play a central role in having regional experts available to the state and federal entities needing such guidance. This is a role in which ACS can make a real, quantifiable difference.

Mitigating disasters is important, as are the lives of the people in the impacted areas. While each incident is different, there is nothing more reassuring to the people in the impacted areas than knowing that they have the best available facts (in real time) and that we’ve got their backs.

David M. Manuta, Waverly, Ohio

I'm terribly curious to see what the various agencies report when the ultimately do so... 

Have a great weekend

Well, I was gifted two quiet days this week, and I got half of what I wanted to get done, done. So here's hoping I can get the other half done on Friday. I hope that you got accomplished what you hoped to, and that you have a fantastic weekend. I know I will try to! See you on Monday. 

Would you pay $1500 to be an Japanese steel manufacturing worker?

Via the New York Times, this very fun trip to an ancient Japanese steel foundry: 

...Safety was paramount because around the flames, at various stations, milled a team of some 20 excited tourists, a mix of both Japanese and a few foreigners, all dressed in very hip dark gray jumpsuits. These were people paying roughly ¥200,000, or about $1,500, for the chance to be a worker in a tatara-ba for a day and night. (They would get to keep the jumpsuits and a small piece of raw steel as souvenirs.) Their faces and hands were streaked by charcoal.

Jewel steel is produced by sprinkling iron sand — alluvial (river-deposited) sand saturated with iron — slowly over a charcoal pit. The tourists spent hours chopping the pine charcoal to precise sizes. They used scoops woven from bamboo to gather heaps of charcoal and dump them atop the furnace.

Off to the side stood a man named Noriaki Yasuda. He was the designated conductor — called a murage — of this slow dance between heat, charcoal and dampened iron sand. Dressed in an electric blue jumpsuit, he stood out in beautiful, almost poetic, contrast to the licking orange flames.

Monitoring the airflow, the color of the fire and the height of the charcoal with paternal concern, Mr. Yasuda scowled and watched, sometimes retreating to sit in his dark alcove, his arms crossed, still scowling and watching. To produce steel using the tatara technique, it turns out, you spend a lot of time watching.

I'm delighted (and not surprised) that there is a touch of chemistry: 

...“Steel is just iron with a little bit of carbon,” Mr. Yasuda explained to me. When I finally built up the courage to talk with him, his face lit up in a wide smile from behind his mask. (Everyone was wearing masks, less out of Covid concerns and more because of the charcoal dust.) He casually led me to a blackboard in the back of his resting space and sketched out the basic chemical formulas of what was happening in the furnace, how charcoal serves two purposes. First, it burns much hotter than wood. And second, its carbon atoms are essential to the formation of steel; embedded between iron atoms, they increase the strength of the metal.

First, as someone who works in chemical manufacturing, I'm guessing that we cannot get tourists to pay $1500 to work a shift - more's the pity. It is also interesting how they are careful with the size of the charcoal - makes sense, i.e. more uniform pieces allow for better control of the heat. Fun article - read the whole thing. 

Job posting: chemistry teacher, Regis High School, New York City, NY

Via C&EN Jobs: 

Position Summary

Regis seeks a qualified candidate to join its faculty as a Chemistry Teacher beginning September 2024 for the Academic Year 2024-2025. This is a full-time faculty position. Position comes with full benefits. Work hours may vary and will include some evenings and weekends for special school events. Salary is very competitive for the New York City area and is commensurate with experience. The 2024-2025 school year for faculty members ends on June 13, 2025.

Job Responsibilities

• Supports and Advances the Catholic Jesuit Mission of the School
• Works in collaboration with the administration in observing the principles and ideals for which Regis High School stands for
• Devotes energies to teaching in conformity with the policies of Regis High School and is subject at all times to the general control and supervision of the Principal
• Will perform services that include the preparation of examinations, the correction and assignment of grades, and assigned proctoring
• Responsible for ongoing professional development, the customary conferences with students and parents, individual guidance of students, serving as an academic advisor with a student advisement group, direction of student extracurricular activities, service on faculty committees, active service in studying department and school issues, preparation of syllabi, attendance at events listed in the school’s Faculty Handbook under “Faculty Staff Participation in Key Events,” attendance at faculty meetings, and participation in other such professional incidental services, in the judgment of the Principal, the needs of the school require
• Will be generally available to the students in their assigned department resource room through the school day when not teaching class; further, is to have one hour after school availability weekly, according to a schedule subject to the approval of the Principal

Qualifications & Skills

• Position includes teaching 10th grade chemistry classes
• Position may include working with students in advanced individual science projects in school’s SRP Program (Science Research Program) and may include teaching an advanced chemistry class in the future
• Experience working with adolescents
• Excellent organization and communication skills
• Successful teaching experience (high school or higher education)
• Familiarity with and understanding of practical uses of technology for instruction

Education

• B.S. Degree with a major in Biology or Chemistry is required
• Master's Degree in Biology or Chemistry or a Master of Science in Education is preferred
• Evidence of continuing professional education through conferences, seminars, or professional associations is preferred

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range - $71,660. Commensurate with years of experience and level of success in the institutional advancement area, eligible for most benefits immediately.

Most benefits go into effect immediately. Participation in the 403 (b) occurs after one year of employment.

To Apply:

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume by email to employment@regis.org. Qualified applicants will be contacted regarding next steps once all required documents have been submitted. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The craziest hybrid sheep story you will hear today

Via Twitter and the Department of Justice: 

Defendant Worked to Traffic Marco Polo Sheep Parts from Kyrgyzstan, Clone Sheep, Illegally Inseminate Ewes to Create Hybrids and Traffic Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Parts

A Montana man pleaded guilty today to two felony wildlife crimes – a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and substantively violating the Lacey Act – as part of an almost decade-long effort to create giant sheep hybrids in the United States with an aim to sell the species to captive hunting facilities.

Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, 80, of Vaughn, Montana, is the owner and operator of Sun River Enterprises LLC – also known as Schubarth Ranch – which is a 215-acre alternative livestock ranch in Vaughn. The Schubarth Ranch is engaged in the purchase, sale and breeding of “alternative livestock” such as mountain sheep, mountain goats and various ungulates. The primary market for Schubarth’s livestock is captive hunting operations, also known as shooting preserves or game ranches.

According to court documents, Schubarth conspired with at least five other individuals between 2013 and 2021 to create a larger hybrid species of sheep that would garner higher prices from shooting preserves. Schubarth brought parts of the largest sheep in the world, Marco Polo argali sheep (Ovis ammon polii), from Kyrgyzstan into the United States without declaring the importation. Average males can weigh more than 300 pounds with horns that span more than five feet. Marco Polo argali are native to the high elevations of the Pamir region of Central Asia. They are protected internationally by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, domestically by the U.S. Endangered Species Act and are prohibited in the State of Montana to protect native sheep from disease and hybridization.

Schubarth sent genetic material from the argali parts to a lab to create cloned embryos. Schubarth then implanted the embryos in ewes on his ranch, resulting in a single, pure genetic male Marco Polo argali that he named “Montana Mountain King” or MMK.

Court documents explain that Schubarth worked with the other unnamed coconspirators to use MMK’s semen to artificially impregnate various other species of ewes – all of which were prohibited in Montana – and create hybrid animals. Their goal was to create a larger and more valuable species of sheep to sell to captive hunting facilities, primarily in Texas.

Presuming this is true, I can't feel very sorry for Mr. Schubarth. I do wonder if the people who were doing the cloning knew what he was doing, and if they knew it was illicit.  

WuXi in the NYT

There's an article in the New York Times about the BIOSECURE Act, and its impact with WuXi on the general pharmaceutical market. This is the only relevant portion (I feel): 

Last month, after a classified briefing with intelligence staff, the Senate homeland security committee advanced a bill by a vote of 11 to 1: It would bar companies from receiving government contracts for work with Wuxi, but would allow the companies to still obtain contracts for unrelated projects. Government contracts with drugmakers are generally limited, though they were worth billions of dollars in revenue to companies that responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The real question is 1) will a bill pass, and 2) what will the bill look like? If the Senate version looks like this (i.e. banning the government from working directly with WuXi, but not stopping pharma companies from working with WuXi), I suspect this is going to not be particularly impactful.

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 548 research/teaching positions and 84 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 548 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions. 

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

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

On April 18, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 619 research/teaching positions and 80 teaching-focused positions.

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

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

What's wrong with the new MLB uniforms?

That's a sweaty uniform. 
Credit: The Athletic

Also in this week's C&EN, this vitally important topic (article by Prachi Patel): 

Soon after the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) season started in March, sweat stains began to bloom along with spring flowers. In particular, sweat seemed to be soaking through the gray uniform jersey that team members wear when they play away from home, turning them visibly dark.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone, especially sports apparel companies, that athletes sweat. And synthetic sport performance fabrics, whether they’re intended for soccer, track, tennis, or lower-impact activities, are designed to provide temperature control and antibacterial properties to help keep their wearers comfortable and fresh.

In fact, 6 years’ worth of engineering went into the Nike Vapor Premier baseball uniforms, designed by Nike and manufactured by Easton, Pennsylvania–based Fanatics, according to the MLB. So what went wrong?

C&EN asked textile researchers to speculate, and they had fun doing it. “Textile structures are incredibly complex, and when you add chemical finishes, the degree of complexity multiplies,” says Juan Hinestroza, professor of fiber science and apparel design at Cornell University. So the answer to what possibly went wrong is “all of the above,” he says...

Because I'm a chemical manufacturing weirdo, this from the article makes the most sense to me. 

...Whatever the underlying chemical or material gaffe, the problem most likely stems from the uniforms’ complex manufacturing chain. Every MLB jersey and pair of pants is the product of multiple fiber and yarn producers, textile mills, and chemical suppliers spread across the world. To Henry Boyter, an expert on textiles and finishes and director of the Center for Environmentally Sustainable Textile and Apparel Businesses, it’s probably a quality control issue. “There is a large amount of testing that should have been done to ensure quality and that was probably not done,” he says. “We only know for sure that human wear trials were not completed, or ignored.”

I am rather surprised that these issues didn't turn up in their testing, or they ignored these issues. Either way, it doesn't seem like this is turning out well for MLB. I suspect that the second version of these uniforms will be better, but we shall see. 

Bloomberg: Metals prices are surging

Via Bloomberg: 

Aluminum and nickel surged on the London Metal Exchange as traders responded to new US and UK sanctions that banned deliveries of any Russian supplies produced after midnight on Friday.

The new restrictions, aimed at curbing President Vladimir Putin’s ability to fund his military, inject major uncertainties into metals markets that have already been reshaped in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Aluminum jumped as much as 9.4%, the most since the current form of the contract was launched in 1987, while nickel rose as much as 8.8%. That suggests traders believe that removing one of the largest producers from the market will drive prices higher.

The rally is being fueled by “worries that the sanctions will reduce Russian flows to Western markets,” said Jia Zheng, head of trading and research at Shanghai Dongwu Jiuying Investment Management Co. “Any stimulation will be amplified amid an existing bullish backdrop.”

Still, there are also concerns over the prospect of a flood of old Russian metal — which is still permitted — getting dumped onto the LME.

I'm still learning the metals supply chains, so I don't think I have much to say about this, but it is still fascinating. 

Have a great weekend

I have one big thing to do today, and then I get to have a weekend. Here's hoping that you got your work done, and that you're having a great week. Have a good weekend and we'll see you on Monday. 

Moderna pauses its Kenyan manufacturing site

Via FiercePharma: 

Moderna made headlines in 2021 with a commitment to bringing more mRNA manufacturing capabilities to Africa, eventually landing on Kenya as the site of a $500 million plant project. Now, amid waning global vaccine demand, the company has hit pause on the endeavor.

The Spikevax maker is taking a step back to evaluate future demand for mRNA vaccines in Africa as it has not received any vaccine orders from the continent since 2022, Moderna said in a statement.

Cancelations of previous orders have stacked up to “more than $1 billion” in losses and write-downs, according to the mRNA specialist. The company said demand "has declined since the pandemic and is insufficient to support the viability of the factory planned in Kenya." 

Too bad - I was looking forward to the start of biopharma manufacturing in Africa. Here's hoping for brighter days. 

Job posting: CMC reviewer, FDA, Silver Spring, MD

Via the Chemistry Discord (deadline is April 12):

The mission of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) is to perform an essential public health task by making sure that safe and effective drugs are available to improve the health of people in the United States. CDER regulates over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs, including biological therapeutics and generic drugs.

The Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ) oversees and coordinates the overall regulation of pharmaceutical quality within CDER, including quality assessment of regulatory submission, manufacturing facility assessment, research, policy development, and surveillance of the quality of marketed pharmaceutical products.

The Offices of Product Quality Assessment (OPQA) III evaluate and assess product quality aspects over the product lifecycle for all types of human drug product applications, including Investigational New Drugs (INDs), Biologics Licensing Applications (BLAs), New Drug Applications (NDAs), Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs), and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) information supporting these applications, and make risk-informed recommendations on the approvability of such products and evaluates and assesses post-marketing activities for these drug products.

Duties/Responsibilities

As the Pharmaceutical Scientist, the incumbent is responsible for reviewing and evaluating comprehensive information and data on chemistry, formulation, manufacturing (including process monitoring and controls), biopharmaceutics (including drug release), as well as technical aspects of labeling and environmental impact submitted in Biologic License Agreements (BLAs), New Drug Applications (NDAs), Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs), and supplemental BLAs, NDAs, as appropriate. 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Drones as corporate intelligence tools

Via the New York Times, this interesting news about a plastics recycling plant: 

Then in November, Bleecker Street Research — a New York-based short-seller, an investment strategy that involves betting that a company’s stock price will fall — published a report asserting that the white pellets that had rolled off PureCycle’s line in June weren’t recycled from plastic waste. The short-sellers instead claimed that the company had simply run virgin polypropylene through the system as part of a demonstration run.

Mr. Olson said PureCycle hadn’t used consumer waste in the June 2023 run, but it hadn’t used virgin plastic, either. Instead it had used scrap known as “post industrial,” which is what’s left over from the manufacturing process and would otherwise go to a landfill, he said.

Bleecker Street also said it had flown heat-sensing drones over the facility and said it found few signs of commercial-scale activity. The firm also raised questions about the solvent PureCycle was using to break down the plastic, calling it “a nightmare concoction” that was difficult to manage.

PureCycle is now being sued by other investors who accuse the company of making false statements and misleading investors about its setbacks.

Mr. Olson declined to describe the solvent. Regulatory filings reviewed by The New York Times indicate that it is butane, a highly flammable gas, stored under pressure. The company’s filing described the risks of explosion, citing a “worst case scenario” that could cause second-degree burns a half-mile away, and said that to mitigate the risk the plant was equipped with sprinklers, gas detectors and alarms.

It is fascinating to see how these short selling firms work, and it's pretty clever to fly drones to find out more data (beats counting cars in a parking lot, I bet.)  

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 547 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 547 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions. 

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

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

On April 11, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 618 research/teaching positions and 77 teaching-focused positions.

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

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

Job posting: visiting assistant professor, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA

Via Twitter: 

PLNU is a Christian liberal arts university in the evangelical, Wesleyan tradition, offering quality undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. We provide higher education in a vibrant Christian environment where minds are engaged and challenged, character is modeled and formed, and service is an expression of faith. PLNU is an institution that is committed to reflecting the rich diversity of God’s kingdom. We therefore encourage applications from culturally and academically diverse faculty of the highest caliber, skilled and/or demonstrating great potential in the practice of teaching and scholarship. 

The Department of Chemistry is seeking candidates for a one year Visiting Professor of Chemistry. Responsibilities will begin mid-August 2024 and continue until mid-May, 2025. Academic rank will be based on degrees and experience, and the compensation level also depends upon the education and experience of the appointee. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. The University encourages applications from a diverse group of applicants who support the mission of Point Loma Nazarene University.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

C&EN: "Chemours completes financial probe"

In this week's C&EN, this news (article by Alexander H. Tullo):  

Chemours’s board of directors has completed an internal review of accounting irregularities that led to the ouster of CEO Mark Newman. In February, Newman was placed on leave pending the review. The probe found that $100 million in payments from Chemours to vendors due in the fourth quarter of 2023 were delayed until the first quarter of this year. Meanwhile, Chemours’s collection of $260 million in receivables due in the first quarter of this year was pushed to the fourth quarter of 2023. The moves boosted the company’s cash flow numbers. The audit found similar gaming in 2022 of $40 million in payments delayed and $175 million in receivables accelerated. Newman has resigned, but the audit may not close the book on the scandal. More than half a dozen law firms are preparing shareholder suits against the company. 

It is remarkable to me that Mr. Newman would decide to attempt this sort of accounting finagling, especially with a publicly traded company. 

Have a great weekend

Well, this has been a pretty chill week (by comparison) for me. Here's hoping that you've had a great week, and that you have a wonderful weekend. See you on Monday! 

Chemical drums found buried beneath a New York community park

Credit: Patch/Town of Oyster Bay

Via Patch: 

BETHPAGE, NY — Six 55-gallon chemical drums were found buried seven feet beneath Bethpage Community Park near the ball field and skatepark, the Town of Oyster Bay announced Wednesday. Supervisor Joseph Saladino renewed demands for Northrop Grumman to excavate all contaminated soils in the park.

"These chemical drums are encased in concrete coffins, which is highly uncommon according to environmental experts," the Town of Oyster Bay wrote.

The town called it a "graveyard of chemical drums."

A Grumman spokesperson said the company discovered several drums encased in concrete beneath a closed area of the park while conducting environmental remediation.

"We promptly notified NYSDEC and other relevant stakeholders and we are working with NYSDEC to assess and address this situation as quickly as possible," Grumman stated. "We remain committed to protecting the health and well-being of the community and to continuing our partnership with NYSDEC and other government regulators to address environmental conditions in the area."

It is really hard to imagine a world in which hazardous waste was not disposed of "properly."* It would be fascinating to know what the thought process around burying these drums were, and what potential other disposal methods there might have been years ago. 

*I'm loathe to credit federal legislation for business regulation, but it seems to me that a United States with RCRA is better than one without. 

Job posting: Associate Principal Investigator, Toxinology, Battelle National Biodefense Institute, Frederick, MD

Via C&EN Jobs: 

BACKGROUND

The National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) is a one-of-a-kind facility dedicated to defending the nation against biological threats. Its work supports DHS and National biodefense preparedness planning, response, emerging threat characterization and bioforensic analyses. It is the first national laboratory created by DHS in response to biodefense gaps identified following the Amerithrax attacks of 2001 and has been operated by the Battelle National Biodefense Institute (BNBI) since 2006. Since its inception, NBACC and its staff have filled critical shortfalls in our scientific knowledge of biological agents needed to protect the public and defend the Nation from biological threats, whether naturally occurring, accidental, or deliberate and provided federal law enforcement with scientific data to support the investigation and attribution of biocrimes and protection of the US bioeconomy.

NBACC includes two centers: the National Bioforensic Analysis Center (NBFAC), which conducts the technical analyses in support of federal law enforcement investigations, and the National Biological Threat Characterization Center (NBTCC), which conducts experiments and studies to obtain data required for a better understanding of biological vulnerabilities and hazards. Together these centers offer a unique national resource for understanding the risks posed by biological agents and emerging technologies to inform biodefense policy and response planning and the operational capability to support the investigation, prosecution, and prevention of biocrimes and bioterrorism.

PRIMARY FUNCTION

Applies expertise in protein and peptide biochemistry in collaboration with a team of scientists in the NBTCC within the NBACC to perform Toxinology research that addresses specific questions of national significance in support of biodefense preparedness, response, and recovery. Areas of research include a range of topics related to the physical, biological, and/or pathological properties of toxin agents. Work will be performed in state-of-the-art laboratories. All facilities are fully staffed and equipped with a wide range of technologies required for biodefense and infectious disease research.

MINIMUM REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Requires a PhD (or equivalent) in a scientific discipline or engineering, and a minimum of 2 years related experience.
• Requires expertise in one or more of the following:
• Heterologous protein expression, purification, and characterization.
• Solid phase peptide and protein synthesis, purification, and characterization.
• Cell-based toxicity and/or electrophysiological assays.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Tennessee General Assembly passes bill to ban atmospheric geoengineering

Via the BBC, this news:

Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill banning the release of airborne chemicals that critics say is inspired by "chemtrails" conspiracy theories.

The bill forbids "intentional injection, release, or dispersion" of chemicals into the air.

It doesn't explicitly mention chemtrails, which conspiracy theorists believe are poisons spread by planes.

Instead it broadly prohibits "affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight".

The Republican-sponsored bill passed along party lines on Monday. If it is signed by Tennessee's governor, Republican Bill Lee, it will go into effect on 1 July.

Just to check, I verified that this was an actual bill that was actually debated and voted on (and passed) in the Tennessee General Assembly. This was not an April Fool's Joke.** Sadly, an amendment to add Sasquatch was voted down (I think.)

I wonder if Tennessee state representative Monty Fritts is concerned about other chemicals in the atmosphere? Surely he understands that, say, burning anything puts chemicals into the atmosphere that could affect temperature and weather?

*Here's another article from a different outlet showing the bill's movement through the general assembly.  

NSF: 1% fewer postdocs in academia in 2022

Via Science's Katie Langin, this news from NSF's Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering: 

New data released by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) reveal a sharp drop in the number of U.S. citizens working as postdocs, especially in the biological and biomedical sciences. The trend underscores concerns that the academic community is facing a postdoc shortage and that early-career scientists are increasingly favoring higher paid positions outside academia.

“It’s an unfortunate situation if domestic researchers are turning down postdoctoral positions because they’re inferior to positions in government or in industry,” says Tom Kimbis, executive director and CEO of the National Postdoctoral Association. “It’s not a situation that’s good for the country.”

The data come from NSF’s Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, which compiles employment data from academic institutions and estimates the number of STEM graduate students and postdocs across the country. According to the latest data release, 62,750 postdocs were employed at U.S. institutions in the fall of 2022, a 1% drop compared with the year before. But the trend diverges sharply by citizenship. From 2021 to 2022, the number of U.S. citizens and permanent residents working as postdocs dropped from 29,755 to 27,289. The 8% change is the largest year-to-year percentage-wise drop in the history of the survey, which has collected data since 1980. Meanwhile, the number of postdocs with temporary visas increased by 6%, from 33,573 to 35,461, about the same number as in 2020.

This is pretty interesting news. I'm genuinely interested to see if this trend continues, if it indeed is a trend. I'm generally skeptical of narratives that there is a "shortage" of postdocs. I think there is a perceived shortage of candidates from professors, or (another way to put it) the relative desirability of these postdocs has fallen. I have long asserted that postdocs are inferior goods, and this doesn't change my position.  

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 546 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 546 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions. 

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

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

On April 4, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 618 research/teaching positions and 75 teaching-focused positions.

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

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

An alarming story about WuXi, and its (potential) impact on chemical employment in the United States

Via Derek, this seriously bonkers Reuters story regarding WuXi AppTec: 

March 28 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence officials in late February told senators working on a biotech security bill that Chinese pharmaceutical firm WuXi AppTec (603259.SS), opens new tab had transferred U.S. intellectual property to Beijing without consent, according to two sources.

The U.S. government is concerned that certain Chinese biotech companies are contributing technology or research and development for use by China's military, and the proposed legislation would restrict U.S. government funds going to those Chinese companies.

The classified briefing to about a dozen senators was led by the FBI, the State Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Those officials said that WuXi AppTec and other Chinese entities had engaged in activity in the U.S. contrary to U.S. national security interests, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

Among the agencies' concerns was information reflected in recent intelligence reporting that WuXi AppTec transferred a U.S. client's intellectual property to Chinese authorities without consent, the two sources said.

First, I am a little skeptical of this story. I'm probably more of a dot mil type than Derek, to calibrate. I am, in general, pretty skeptical of specific stories about foreign governments without additional corroboration. So, the rest of this post will needs to start with "IF this is true" and I think it's a big "IF." 

IF this is true, then I suspect this is sufficient evidence for Congress to move on whatever legislation they are planning. The fact that the intelligence community is providing these briefings to Congress intimates a potential level of agreement and potential assent from the White House, which presumably will attempt to adjust any future bills via the Senate. 

So. IF this is all true, then you could imagine A Great Decoupling away from China IF indeed there is large-scale evidence that WuXi is either voluntarily or involuntarily coughing up American IP to the Chinese government.* I remember a story (I don't know if I entirely believe it) from a friend, or a friend of a friend who was taken to a rooftop on the WuXi campus in the late aughts and told "that's the Merck building over there, and the Pfizer building over there, and the [insert large pharma] building over there." Again, I'm skeptical of these stories, but suffice it to say in 2024 that there are many thousands more FTEs in China working on pharma (med chem, process, etc) than there were in 1990 or 2000. 

IF there is a Great Decoupling, then yes, some (or many?) of these jobs will eventually end back up in the United States. Likelier, though, they will start somewhere else. India, perhaps, or maybe Central/Eastern Europe. I don't see the numbers of chemists increasing in the US dramatically any time soon, but my crystal ball is murky. That said, IF a WuXi bill is signed, and IF there are serious consequences (i.e. if large pharmas are barred from working with WuXi on pain of, say, being removed from the CMS formulary), then all bets are off. IF. 

*The Chinese government is weird in all sorts of ways - but why would they have a meal on seed corn like this?

Have a great weekend

This was kind of a rough week for me, but we made it through. I hope you had a good week, and I hope that you have a wonderful and restful Easter weekend. See you on Monday. 

Hydrogen-fueled rockets are amazing

Credit: The New York Times

Via the New York Times: 

The Delta IV Heavy burns ultracold liquid hydrogen, which is a high-performance fuel. In the final part of the countdown, to cool down the engines and prevent a sudden temperature shock that could cause cracks, liquid hydrogen starts flowing through the engine into the flame trench.

But when the hydrogen warms above its boiling temperature of minus 423.2 degrees Fahrenheit, it turns into a gas. Hydrogen is lighter than air and rises upward. When the engines ignite, so does that cloud of hydrogen — like a space-age Hindenburg.

“A very dramatic effect,” Mr. Bruno said.

I'm not much of a space nerd, so I didn't know that the Delta Heavy runs on liquid hydrogen. The pictures are dramatic, sure, but the video is really dramatic. Click over there to see. 

*Makes you wonder if there is some hydrogen provider that's bummed out 'cause they're losing a big account. 

Job posting: Laboratory Analyst I, Central Marin Sanitation Agency, San Rafael, CA

Via C&EN Jobs:

Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) is recruiting for a Laboratory Analyst I position. This entry level position is responsible for the day‐to‐day activities of the CMSA Laboratory sampling and analysis requirements. This position does require rotational weekend and holiday coverage during CMSA’s wet weather season. The Laboratory Analyst will collect samples and perform standard physical, chemical, biological, and bacteriological tests for process control, permit compliance and CMSA clients. They shall have a working knowledge of various aspects of analytical and environmental laboratory techniques. The CMSA Laboratory is a State certified laboratory which has implemented the Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) TNI-2 Standard and is certified for over 30 different analyses.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Under general supervision of the Regulatory Compliance Manager, the Laboratory Analyst assists in implementation of the Agency’s Environmental Laboratory Program by conducting:

• Collection of environmental samples such as water, wastewater, sludge, and biogas samples.
• Chemical and biological analysis of samples by standard procedures such as bacteriological, solids, pH, alkalinity, COD, cBOD, BOD, turbidity, and volatile acids.
• Operation and maintenance of basic and sophisticated laboratory equipment such as Ion Chromatography System, Flow Injection Analysis System, Turbidity Meters, Analytical Balances, and UV-VIS spectrophotometer.
• Data entry, and review in a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) data, and quality control/assurance documents.
• Regular communication quality assurance concerns and exceedances, and documents.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Possession of a four-year college degree with major emphasis in chemistry, biology, microbiology, environmental studies, or a related field of study. Possession of a Grade I certificate as a Laboratory Analyst issued by the CWEA is preferred at the time of hire or must obtain a Grade I certificate within 12 months of employment. A minimum of one (1) year of experience in any combination of the following: a laboratory technician/analyst in a wastewater or water treatment facility or analytical laboratory, or other related experience applicable to this position.

To apply for this opportunity, please submit a cover letter and resume at: Laboratory Analyst I - Koff & Associates (koffassociates.com). If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, please contact recruiter Amanda Kreller at Amanda_Kreller@ajg.com or 707.687.2194.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 545 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 545 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions. 

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

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

On March 28, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 618 research/teaching positions and 73 teaching-focused position.

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

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

Job postings: temporary positions, North Carolina Division of Public Health Fellowship Program

From the inbox, three temporary positions with the North Carolina Division of Public Health Fellowship Program. Here's one of them: 

Chemist I

There are two possible project areas available (only one will be hired):

1. This Chemist I position will assist with a project that will bring on PFAS testing in drinking water using solid phase extraction and Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). This validation procedure will conform with EPA certification requirements from the implementation of a new method, including the Initial Demonstration of Capability (IDoC). This position is expected to independently perform extractions and analysis of samples. Considering the complexity of this instrumentation and testing protocol, the individual should have one year of related experience. See the full position description. Hourly pay $21.00 p/hr.
2. This Chemist I position will assist in a project to implement microwave digestion of food products following FDA methods for the detection of lead and other heavy metals. This individual will perform complex ICP-MS analysis and will assist in the design and optimization of an effective digestion procedure that conforms with accepted methods. Considering the complexity of this testing and the expected independent sample digestion and analysis, the individual should have one year of related experience.  See the full position description. Hourly pay $21.00 p/hr.

There are two more at the link. Best wishes to those interested. 

AP: Acrylic acid tanker capsizes

Via the Associated Press: 

TOKYO (AP) — A South Korean chemical tanker capsized off an island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, authorities said, killing eight people on board. One crew member survived, and the fate of two others was unknown.

Officials said the tanker was carrying 980 tons of acrylic acid, a corrosive organic compound that is used in adhesives, paints and polishes. No leak has been detected, and officials are studying what environmental protection measures may be needed in case there is a leak.

The Japan Coast Guard said it received a distress call from the chemical tanker Keoyoung Sun, saying that it was tilting while seeking refuge from the weather near Japan’s Mutsure Island, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Tokyo in southwestern Japan.

The ship was completely capsized by the time rescuers arrived at the scene. Footage on Japan’s NHK television showed the ship lying upside down, a rough sea washing over its red underside.

Best wishes to the families of the victims. 

NYT: Man dies of Gila monster bite in Colorado

Via the New York Times, this grim news: 

An autopsy report revealed that a pet Gila monster’s venomous bite contributed to a Colorado man’s death in February in what an expert described as “an incredibly rare” fatality caused by one of the desert lizards.

The man, Christopher Ward, 34, died on Feb. 16 “due to complications of Gila monster envenomization,” said the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office autopsy report, which also cited heart and liver problems as contributing factors.

Mr. Ward endured a four-minute-long bite by the lizard to his right hand on the night of Feb. 12, the report said. He lapsed in and out of consciousness for about two hours before seeking medical attention, the report said.

Paramedics found Mr. Ward in a bed, minimally responsive and “in apparent severe distress,” the report said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was put on life support and “continued to decline throughout his hospitalization.”

It would be interesting to know how many Gila monsters are in private homes in America. I'm guessing there are quite a few, but either they (or their bites!) are rare. 

Have a great weekend

Well, this was a very busy week, but it turned out all right. Didn't get as much work for next week done as I would like, but there you are. Here's hoping I can grab some time with my family this weekend, and plunge into next week. See you on Monday. 

Job posting: chemist, FDA, College Park, MD

Via C&EN Jobs: 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) in College Park, Maryland seeks to hire support scientists to participate in our food safety research program. The Office of Regulatory Science (ORS) within CFSAN conducts laboratory investigations in a variety of research areas which include, but are not limited to, food additives, food packaging, contaminants, toxins, allergens, elemental analysis, and nutrients in foods, food packaging, dietary supplements, and cosmetics.  Candidates with a background in method validation and a wide-range of sample preparation techniques including, but not limited to, solid phase extraction (SPE), elemental analysis, liquid-liquid extraction, QuEChERS, dissolution, proteomics, etc. are encouraged to apply.  Expertise in any of the following areas is also desirable: mass spectrometry (LC-MS, GC-MS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS), vibrational spectroscopy (IR, NIR, Raman), antibody-based analyses, elemental analysis, and/or chromatographic separations (LC, GC).

Candidates should have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in chemistry or a related field.  Job responsibilities can include, but are not limited to, (1) providing support to principal investigators by conducting and/or assisting in scientific investigations or testing activities for the determination of a variety of compounds in foods, packaging, dietary supplements, and cosmetics, (2) assisting in the operation and maintenance of highly complex and specialized scientific instrumentation, (3) contributing to the writing of reports, scientific papers, and scientific publications, (4) participation at scientific conferences and meetings, and (5) conducting tasks such as maintaining laboratory safety standards and cleanliness, QA activities, ordering of laboratory supplies, and/or other ancillary duties.

U.S. citizenship is required, and the start date is negotiable. Starting salary is dependent upon experience.  If interested, please email your CV to ORS-DAC-inquiry@fda.hhs.gov.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The coolest interview you will read with a former spy today

Via Marginal Revolution, this really cool interview with a former CIA chief of base: 

Cultivating human intelligence, that tradecraft: how does that set of skills get passed down?

There are training courses specifically for people handling sources and tradecraft training and methodologies. Some are tried and true and meant to withstand the test of time. So to speak with whatever technology advances occur at the same time. 

CIA is facing a real reckoning. It's called “ubiquitous technical surveillance.” It's essentially that there's some digital record of everything you do nowadays. 

CIA is facing a huge challenge in how it operates because of technology. But there are ways to double down and use technology to advance operations as well. And obviously I'm not going to be able to get into that. This is a big ongoing test of the agency. 

The aspect of CIA that is most important (and most relevant to this blog) is the importance of the human element. CIA is in the business of cultivating the human element, getting people from other countries to tell the United States government information that their government would rather that the US government not know. 

This kind of influencing is a skill for job seekers as well. It is an important aspect of your job search to actually find a decision maker, and then get that hiring manager to choose you as a candidate.* That is an extraordinarily difficult task, and one that takes a lifetime to learn.  

*When I started this blog in December 2008, I might have said "get the hiring manager to recognize that you're the most qualified candidate." Now, I'm not so sure. 

What is the rate of benzene formation from benzoyl peroxide decomposition?

In this week's C&EN, this bit of news about recent Valisure findings (article by Craig Bettenhausen):  

Concerns about benzene in personal care products are back, this time in acne medications based on benzoyl peroxide. Benzene is known to cause cancer in humans.

The independent analytical lab Valisure filed a petition last week asking the US Food and Drug Administration to recall and suspend sales of all benzoyl peroxide products. David Light, the firm’s cofounder and president, says his team found that the ingredient decomposes to benzene in consumer product formulas.

Valisure has found benzene in multiple consumer products in recent years, including hand sanitizer, sunscreen, dry shampoo, and aerosol antifungal medication. But in those cases, the benzene seems to have been a contaminant in the raw materials, and the findings were limited to certain batches and brands.

In acne products, Light says, the primary active ingredient breaks down into benzene under conditions that products might encounter in transport and in the home. The firm also found that the benzene diffused out of many of the bottles over time. “The evidence strongly shows us that this is a broad benzoyl peroxide problem,” he says. “We don’t have confidence on any product being immune at this point.”

Consumer product makers insist their acne medications are safe. Estée Lauder, which uses benzoyl peroxide in one Clinique-brand product, says it is “an FDA-approved and commonly used ingredient for acne treatment. . . . This product, like all of our products, is safe for use as intended.”

The industry’s criticism emphasizes storage conditions. Much of Valisure’s data documents the emergence of benzene over time in products held at 50 °C and 70 °C—temperatures that consumers are told to avoid. The label on the acne product Clearasil, for example, instructs consumers to store the product at room temperature away from bright light. And some prescription-strength benzoyl peroxide formulas are meant to be stored in the fridge.

I'm not an analytical chemist, so I have no idea whether or not their findings are correct. I am a (former) organic chemist, though, and I have a gut level skepticism that solid-ish benzoic acid radicals will undergo decarboxylation as opposed to (I dunno) abstracting a hydride from some other molecule in the formulation. 

What is the literature around this? A brief Google search doesn't offer a lot of answers. If there is a raft of evidence of radical-initiated decarboxylation of benzoyl peroxide, maybe I might believe it, but I guess I'm still quite skeptical. (Don't forget that Light has patented a technology around this, so let's remember that (as always) there are conflict of interest concerns.) 

Methylene chloride spill at Pfizer plant causes no-contact warning for the Kalamazoo, MI

Via MLive, this news from Kalamazoo, MI: 

KALAMAZOO, MI — A no-contact advisory along a stretch of the Kalamazoo River was issued Wednesday afternoon after Pfizer notified the city of Kalamazoo of a chemical spill.

Pfizer notified the Kalamazoo Department of Public Services around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, that an estimated 1,057 gallons of methylene chloride had been released within the process area of the manufacturing facility located at 7000 Portage Road.

It is not known how much of the colorless liquid was discharged into a dedicated sanitary sewer serving Pfizer, which then flows to the Kalamazoo Water Reclamation Plant for treatment, according to a joint news release from the city of Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department.

All persons are being asked to avoid contact with the Kalamazoo River from Paterson Street Bridge in the city of Kalamazoo to the D Avenue Bridge in Cooper Township.

It's funny to me that no one has asked what the density of methylene chloride is, and where it is a river (this would be a really interesting environmental engineering question.) 

Have a great weekend

This was a more relaxed week than I was imagining, and I've gotten some of the things done that I need to get done. I hope that you had a good week, and that you're looking forward to the weekend. See you on Monday! 

Will the BIOSECURE Act sink WuXi AppTec?

Derek has a longer and pretty thorough post about the Congressional goings on with the BIOSECURE ACT that is being pushed through Congress in both the House and the Senate. I feel this summary from Bloomberg from a week or so ago is good: 

The Biosecure Act states that any pharmaceutical company that works with a “biotechnology company of concern” would be ineligible for US government contracts with agencies like the Department of Health & Human Services and the Department of Defense, potentially limiting drug sales for veterans, the national stockpile and perhaps even Medicare and Medicaid.

There are a lot of concerns, but I think the basic concerns are that these specific companies are associated with the Chinese military, and second, that the Chinese government itself is attempting to collect genomic data from the US. I'm not really sure I have enough information on either of these points, but I'm rather skeptical.*

The most important company to talk about in all of this is WuXi Apptec. It's hard to explain how central? important? essential? they are to the US and global industrial biopharma industry is. I guess I mentally think of them as like Sysco, the restaurant services company that brings your favorite local restaurant its sour cream, meat and napkins. Your Pfizers and Mercks do the work, but a lot of basic R&D and essential production is done by WuXi, and done well. 

It also depends on the impact of the paragraph above. If the intent is to say that WuXi can't sell to the US government, well, I don't think that's a very big deal. How much work does WuXi do for DOD, for example? Probably not much. If the intent of the law is to bar federal contracts (including Medicare and Medicaid) for anyone who does business with WuXi (i.e. you have 10 mgs of peptide made by WuXi in Shanghai, and so we're gonna ban you from the Medicare formulary?) that's a very very very big deal. 

What is bad is that no one seems to know exactly what Congress is trying to do, and how this might impact the US. In this case, I think this guidance post from the DC law firm Arnold and Porter from late January is instructive: 

There are two paths for a version of the BIOSECURE Act to progress through Congress: (1) as part of the FY25 NDAA or (2) attached to a larger legislative package this year. Notably, this legislative effort follows the same model that was used to target Chinese telecommunications companies in the late 2010s. Given the pace of movement, for stakeholders wishing to influence or amend the legislation, we recommend initiating outreach as soon as possible.

H.R. 7085 has been referred to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and further action has not yet been announced. Although the China Select Committee does not have the ability to advance legislation, the Select Committee can build momentum for the bill. In addition, Rep. Gallagher also serves on the House Armed Services Committee, which allows him to include provisions in defense-related bills. We expect Rep. Gallagher to push for the inclusion of a potentially expanded version of the BIOSECURE Act in the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act as early as mid-April. Congressman Gallagher is not seeking reelection and may view this legislative effort as a legacy item.

In the Senate, Sens. Peters, the Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC), and Hagerty introduced (S.3558), which is substantially similar to the BIOSECURE Act, on December 20, 2023. Sen. Peters listed the bill to be considered during a January 31 HSGAC business meeting, but the bill was held over to the next business meeting. We expect the bill to be considered by the committee in the coming months.

From the Senate perspective, HSGAC has advanced a version of the bill. From the House perspective, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) accused BIO of acting as a foreign agent, and so BIO then removed WuXi as a member and is supporting a version of the bill. I'm kind of shocked by this level of hardball being played by Gallagher, and further shocked at the quick capitulation by BIO. That is a pretty solid sign on which direction the wind is blowing in DC. 

I am a very boring predictor of events. I tend to say "the trend that is happening will continue" and therefore, I expect Congressional gridlock to slow the passage of any version of the BIOSECURE Act. I guess I will also say that I will be watching the FY25 NDAA very carefully to understand if Rep. Gallagher is successful in appending a version of the act to it. Finally, it will be important to understand what the Biden Administration's position on this bill is. As Derek says, if the result is to sever all ties to WuXi, that will make things very expensive for pharma in the short run. 

*This is the point where I strongly associate myself with Derek's position: against the Chinese government, and in favor of all the Chinese scientists I've worked with over the years. I think I've been fairly transparent that I view the Chinese government with suspicion and as a national security threat to the United States. At the same time, I think the United States is often (including this instance) extraordinarily ham-handed when attempting to address potential and actual threats from China. 

Job posting: bioconjugation chemist. IDEXX, Westbrook, ME

Via C&EN Jobs: 

The IDEXX New Product Development Team is hiring a Scientist to support Immunoassay Reagent Design and Development. ​A successful candidate will synthesize and characterize reagents to define the design space and critical quality attributes needed to optimize assay performance and establish developability. You will perform small molecule-protein and protein-protein conjugations that will be utilized across multiple assay platforms. You will apply statistical design of experiments to drive experimentation and provide insight into conjugate behavior and performance

What will you do?

• Plan, prepare and characterize small molecule-protein and protein-protein bioconjugates to support our research platform.
• Prepare materials, perform experiments, purify, analyze, gather data, and reach conclusions. May also design experiments.
• Plan and apply DOE methodology to design experiments to cover design space.

 ...What do you need to succeed?

• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of experience, or Master’s degree with 0-3 years of experience in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related fields
• Hands-on experience with bioconjugation, purification, and characterization of conjugates.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Bad actor PI + young grad students = non va bene

I really haven't covered the Ranga Dias superconductivity story, but Nature's news section has really got the goods on it (article by Dan Garisto): 

...But the measurements were plagued by systematic errors, which students say they shared with Dias. “I was very, very concerned that one of the probes touching the sample was broken,” one student says. “We could be measuring something that looks like a superconducting drop, but be fooling ourselves.” Although students did see resistance drops in a few other samples, there was no consistency across samples, or even for repeated measurements of a single sample, they told Nature’s news team.

Students were also worried about the accuracy of other measurements. During elemental analysis of a sample, they detected trace amounts of nitrogen. Dias concluded that the samples included the element — and the resulting paper refers to nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride. But further analysis, performed after the paper was submitted, indicated that nitrogen was not incorporated into the LuH. “Ranga ignored what I was saying,” one student says.

Because they were not consulted on the CSH paper, the students say they wanted to make sure they were included in the process of writing the LuH paper. According to the students, Dias initially agreed to involve them. “Then, one day, he sends us an e-mail and says, ‘Here’s the paper. I’m gonna submit it,’” one student says.

E-mails seen by Nature’s news team corroborate the timeline. Dias sent out the first draft of the LuH paper in an e-mail at 2.09 a.m. on 25 April 2022. “Please send me your comments by 10.30 AM,” Dias wrote. “I am submitting it today.” The manuscript they received did not contain any figures, making it difficult to assess. The students convinced Dias to hold off on submitting until the next day, when they could discuss it in person.

One student was upset enough by the meeting that they wrote a memorandum of the events four days afterwards. The memo gives details of how students raised concerns and Dias dismissed them. Students worried that the draft was misleading, because it included a description of how to synthesize LuH; in reality, all the measurements were taken on commercially bought samples of LuH. “Ranga responded by pointing out that it was never explicitly mentioned that we synthesized the sample so technically he was not lying,” the student wrote.

The students say they also raised concerns about the pressure data reported in the draft. “None of those pressure points correspond to anything that we actually measured,” one student says. According to the memo, Dias dismissed their concerns by saying: “Pressure is a joke.”

Students say that Dias gave them an ultimatum: remove their names, or let him send the draft. Despite their worries, the students say they had no choice but to acquiesce. “I just remember being very intimidated,” one student says. The student says they regret not speaking up more to Dias. “But it’s scary at the time. What if I do and he makes the rest of my life miserable?”

Dias made some changes that the students requested, but ignored others; the submitted manuscript contained a description of a synthesis procedure that had not been used. He sent the LuH manuscript to Nature that evening.

This is an unusually thorough article about a situation where it is pretty clear the PI is a bad actor, intent on lying to the scientific community.* I cannot imagine graduate students (all probably younger than 25) being forced into this situation, especially since they don't know that a PI making claims on a paper that cannot be backed up by data is WEIRD and a solid sign that they should leave their adviser immediately. 

Derek Lowe wisely pointed out the difficulty in leaving a graduate adviser. He likened it to leaving a wedding at the altar. I am not quite sure that is quite the right analogy, but I gotta say, it's in the ballpark (i.e. joining a graduate research group is more like joining a small family than it is like joining a workplace, leaving a graduate adviser is more like openly leaving a team because of a coach more than it is like quitting your job at McDonald's because of a bad shift supervisor.) 

It makes me wonder if incoming graduate students need a small booklet that tells students that they have rights, and that going to the department chair because a new assistant professor is intimidating them over data integrity concerns is an okay thing to do. Until that day, this real but rare thing will just keep happening. 

*what is weirder is that if you're going to publish this in Nature, gee, it's going to attract some attention. So what's the ROI on lying? 

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 534 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 534 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions. 

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

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

On February 28, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 611 research/teaching positions and 72 teaching-focused position.

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

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

C&EN: "Lawmakers slash US science funding"

In C&EN, this news (article by Britt E. Erickson): 

More than 5 months into fiscal 2024, US lawmakers have reached an agreement that would fund about half the federal government through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Under the spending bills, released March 3, several science-related agencies face steep budget cuts.

Hardest hit are the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Under the agreement, the EPA’s budget for the fiscal year would shrink to $9.2 billion, a roughly 10% decrease from fiscal 2023.

Lawmakers softened the blow slightly for the EPA’s science and technology programs by transferring $30 million to those areas from the Superfund hazardous waste account. The legislation also orders the EPA to brief Congress in the next few months on a spending plan for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remediation, a court order to allow the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos, and ethylene oxide air emissions.

The NSF is slated to get $9.1 billion, and NIST, $1.2 billion, a decrease of about 8% each. Funding for agricultural research supported by the US Department of Agriculture would remain essentially flat at $3.8 billion.

It's really hard not to get irritated at Congress' routine fluctuations in the budget for federal R&D. I wish they would avoid this, and just keep to steady increases, year after year. 

C&EN: More cuts in the European chemical industry

In C&EN, this news (article by Alex Scott): 

Economic turmoil led to sales and profit declines at several major European chemical industry firms in the fourth quarter or all of 2023. Two big challenges for the sector are soft demand for its products and high energy prices. A number of companies, including Germany’s Evonik Industries, see no near-term uplift in market conditions.

Evonik says in its earnings announcement that it will respond to the “continuously challenging” market conditions with a program to cut annual costs by about around 400 million euros ($435 million). As part of the initiative, the firm will eliminate 2,000 jobs, 1,500 of which are in Germany. Many of the jobs will be management positions.

The company recorded a net loss of $159 million in the fourth quarter and a 17% decrease in sales to $4.0 billion. Evonik recorded an even bigger loss for the whole of 2023. “The general conditions will not get any easier, which is why we will continue our fundamental revamp of the group,” CEO Christian Kullmann told journalists at a briefing. “What we are currently experiencing are not cyclical fluctuations but massive, consequential changes of our economic environment.”

...Evonik’s announcement of job cuts follows a similarly downbeat briefing by BASF, which disclosed plans to cut expenditures by about $1.1 billion at its headquarters site in Germany by the end of 2026 because of high costs and slow demand. BASF already has a cost reduction program in place that will affect 700 workers.

Grim news out of Europe just continues week after week. Here's hoping it ends soon. 

Have a good week

Well, this week was a little bit more chill than I expected, which is fine, but I should probably step it up a bit tomorrow. Here is hoping that you had a quiet week, and that you have a great weekend. See you on Monday! 

"FDA Alert Concerning Certain Cinnamon Products Due to Presence of Elevated Levels of Lead"

 Via FDA, this news: 

Through product testing, the FDA has determined that the ground cinnamon products listed in the table below contain elevated levels of lead and that prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe.

The FDA is advising consumers to throw away and not to buy these ground cinnamon products.  The FDA has recommended that the firms voluntarily recall these products, with the exception of the MTCI cinnamon. The FDA has been unable to reach MTCI to share our findings and request that the company initiate a recall. The FDA will update this notice with the communications from firms that voluntarily agree to recall as we receive them.

...Based on results from the survey, the FDA is recommending recalls of ground cinnamon from six distributors whose products had elevated lead levels ranging from 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million (ppm) (see table above for a full list of lead levels in these products). These levels are significantly lower than the levels of lead associated with the ongoing investigation into ground cinnamon from Ecuador supplied by Negasmart to Austrofoods, the manufacturer of the apple puree and applesauce products, which were between 2,270 ppm to 5,110 ppm in the cinnamon.  

In addition to the FDA’s sampling and analysis, some states also analyzed samples of cinnamon through the Laboratory Flexible Funding Model. This is a cooperative agreement with states to help investigate, monitor and remove adulterated foods from commerce and aid regulatory programs. The Maryland and Missouri Departments of Health collected cinnamon samples included in this safety alert. 

I broadly think this is pretty alarming, i.e. there is an indeterminate amount of lead in low-cost spices (you'll see that some of these spices are sold in dollar stores.) I am a lead level extremist, and I would like to see the amount of lead in food (especially imported food) driven down to as close to zero as possible. 

Another reminder of the possibilities of working in pharma

Via The Atlantic Monthly, this wonderful article on Vertex's CF drug Trikafta: 

...Imagine, though, that you had never been able to simply breathe. Imagine that mucus—thick, copious, dark—had been accumulating since the moment you were born, thwarting air and trapping microbes to fester inside your lungs. That you spent an hour each day physically pounding the mucus out of your airways, but even then, your lung function would spiral only downward, in what amounted to a long, slow asphyxiation. This was what it once meant to be born with cystic fibrosis.

Then, in the fall of 2019, a new triple combination of drugs began making its way into the hands of people with the genetic disease. Trikafta corrects the misshapen protein that causes cystic fibrosis; this molecular tweak thins mucus in the lungs so it can be coughed up easily. In a matter of hours, patients who took it began to cough—and cough and cough and cough in what they later started calling the Purge. They hacked up at work, at home, in their car, in bed at night. It’s not that they were sick; if anything, it was the opposite: They were becoming well. In the days that followed, their lungs were cleansed of a tarlike mucus, and the small tasks of daily life that had been so difficult became unthinkingly easy. They ran up the stairs. They ran after their kids. They ran 10Ks. They ran marathons.

Read the whole thing.