Have a great weekend

Well, always an adventure on the first full week of the year. It's been a fun year so far, and I hope I will get some important work done. I hope you had a good week, and that you have a wonderful weekend. See you on Monday. 

Job posting: Polymer/Chemistry and Materials Science Technologist/Senior Technologist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA

Via ACS Chemistry Careers: 

We have an opening for a Polymer/Chemistry and Materials Science (C/MS) Technologist/Senior Technologist working in the Plastics Group in the Materials and Nondestructive Evaluation Section (MNDE). You will provide general technical support of new and ongoing programmatic activities working independently or with team members performing equipment setup, operations, maintenance, and system testing. Tasks may include, but are not limited to, experimental execution, data collection and reporting, and management of hazardous and other materials and wastes; equipment set up and operation; general troubleshooting and maintenance supporting new and ongoing programmatic experiments while practicing good housekeeping in work and office areas. Tasks may include the use of a respirator. Occasional overtime and travel may be required. This position is in the Material Engineering Division (MED) within the Engineering directorate.

This position will be filled at either level based on knowledge and related experience as assessed by the hiring team. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if hired at the higher level.

You will:

• Provide general technical support to scientists and senior technical personnel in chemical and material sampling, sample preparation, analysis, characterization, experimental execution, data collection and/or in the management of hazardous and/or mixed wastes.
• Provide solutions to moderately complex technical problems under general supervision.
• Use a variety of laboratory mechanical and thermal analysis equipment, and scientific apparatus.
• Maintain documentation of systems and experimental records which include analyzing data, keeping laboratory notes, preparing data summaries of results, and identifying and resolving problems.
• Apply intermediate level skills and knowledge of chemistry/materials science technologies and processes, including interpreting and utilizing laboratory equipment.
• Follow and adhere to written, operational, and safety procedures accordance with ES&H, security, and other laboratory requirements and policies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Via this link, it looks to be a more junior entry-level position, although I'm not entirely sure. Best wishes to those interested. 

CSB on the Lake Charles Biolab fire

This was pretty grim to watch. I don't think I fully understand how chemical facilities on the Gulf coast prepare for hurricane season, but it seems like there were some aspects overlooked...

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 459 research/teaching positions and 76 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 459 research/teaching positions and 76 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 January 2, 2024, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 491 research/teaching positions and 64 teaching positions.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? This is the link to the second open thread. This is the link to the first open thread.

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

Are you having problems accessing the Google Sheet because of a Google Documents error? Email me at chemjobber@gmail.com and I will send you an Excel download of the latest sheet. 

Postdoctoral position: haptics, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel

From the inbox: 

Postdoc Position – Chemist for a New Type of Haptics/Soft Robotics

We are seeking a talented and motivated Postdoc for the fully funded position as a part of the new international (France-Israel) IonicHap project: “IonicHap: Sustainable Ionic Interfaces for Immersive Haptic Applications”.

Your profile:

Organic chemist/materials scientist with strong interest in developing new type of haptics based on the advanced functionality of ionic polymers. Experience of research at the nexus between chemistry/materials and haptics/soft robotics is a strong benefit.

What to expect:

You will perform your research at the Physical AI (PAI) lab at Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Israel (base location; affiliation) and at the RAINBOW Group (Sensor-based and Interactive Robotics) at CNRS/IRISA, The French Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Digital Science and Technology in Rennes, France.

For information about the labs, visit the following websites:

PAI Lab: http://www.labpai.com

RAINBOW Group: https://team.inria.fr/rainbow/

For inquiries, please contact Dr. Aslan Miriyev at miriyev@bgu.ac.il.

To apply:

1. Please email your application to (single email, sent to both addresses):

• Dr. Aslan Miriyev: miriyev@bgu.ac.il
• Dr. Claudio Pacchierotti: claudio.pacchierotti@irisa.fr

2. In the email, please attach the following documents:

• Letter of motivation (also mention the earliest date of your availability for the position)
• Full CV, including your current position and address, and a full publication list
• List of three references who can provide recommendation letters (provide full details)
• PDFs of two of your select publications.

3. Title your email “Postdoc Candidate for IonicHap”.

Best wishes to those interested.  

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 114 research/teaching positions and 17 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 114 research/teaching positions and 17 teaching positions. 

Here is a link to the open thread for the year.

Domestic saffron?

For the first post of 2025, an exploration of saffron via the New York Times: 

...In 2021, Peace and Plenty harvested 700,000 flowers, which yielded about 3.5 kilograms of saffron. Ms. Price sold it to home cooks, and to chefs.

...Despite her success, Ms. Price now cultivates a smaller saffron crop. She has battled weeds and aggressive gophers. Harvesting saffron is backbreaking work. First, the tiny flowers are picked on hands and knees in the dark; saffron crocuses are best harvested before the sun rises and the flowers open. Then each stigma must be meticulously removed by hand.

“I was doing one flower per five seconds at my fastest, which sounds good,” she said. “But when you have 50,000 to do, it’s daunting.”

$10,000/kilogram for the global price, wow! Pretty interesting - read the whole thing.