Dear Job Seekers of the Chemistry Faculty Jobs List:
I have been avoiding writing this piece for months, even as I have thought these things for November. For that, I am sorry, because I feel that I owe more than simply filling out this spreadsheet line-by-line for these past 9 years. Nevertheless, here are some things that I think are true.
- The Trump Administration's direct assault on higher education will not stop for at least the next four years.
- The Trump Administration's direct assault on the funding agencies will not stop for at least the next four years.
- The Trump Administration's direct assault on the Department of Education will not stop at least the next four years.
- The Trump Administration's actions with international students will drive down international student enrollment for at least the next four years.
- The "demographic cliff" is still coming.
This is obvious as the nose on my face, and the nose on yours. American universities are under tremendous governmental and financial pressure. This does not mean anything good for hiring tenure-track professors of chemistry.
I imagine that most of the people who use this list know that, but if you don't - now you can't say I didn't say so. What does this mean for job seekers who use the list? Two things:
- I expect the 2024-25 list to be the local maxima for the foreseeable future.
- I expect the 2025-26 list to be at least 20% lower than 2024-25 (at least the drop between the 19-20 year and the 20-21 year)
You probably already had these thoughts already and now you know mine. I wish I had better news to share. Want to talk? Email me at chemjobber -at- gmail dot com
If you're a job seeker, you're welcome to comment.