Job posting: Analytical Development, Principal Scientist I, Cambrex, East Rutherford, NJ

Via ACS Chemistry Careers: 

The Principal Scientist I will provide technical support for multiple project teams. This individual will evaluate and interpret analytical results, develop, validate and transfer analytical methods for APIs, API intermediates and raw materials. Strict compliance with cGMP guidelines is required to perform most job tasks.

Responsibilities:

• Safely and effectively develop, establish, and validate analytical testing methodologies used to control raw materials, production intermediates, and final products
• Actively participate in teams assembled to investigate and solve analytical technical issues within Analytical Development, Chemical Development, Process Support Group and Quality Control.
• Perform analytical chemistry assays based on new and existing methodologies
• Operate analytical instrumentation such as HPLC, GC, GC/MS, FTIR, Titrator, Particle Size Analyzer

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Chemistry or related field with minimum 6 years of experience or M.S. in Chemistry or related field with minimum 10 years of experience or B.S. degree in Chemistry or related field with 14 years of experience in lab environment, pharmaceutical experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to transfer processes to commercial scale manufacturing.  

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Laura Loomer forces out CBER head Vinay Prasad

Via the New York Times: 

The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine and gene therapy official resigned on Tuesday after a public campaign against him led by the right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, according to people familiar with the matter.

Over the past week, Ms. Loomer had taken to social media to attack the official, Dr. Vinay Prasad, for a series of decisions denying approval of new drugs for rare diseases. She highlighted past statements of support he had made for prominent figures on the political left, including Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont.

Andrew Nixon, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesman, confirmed the resignation Tuesday evening.

“Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the F.D.A. in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family,” Mr. Nixon said in a statement. “We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at F.D.A.”

Looks like Endpoints had it first, for the record. 

I don't have much positive to say about Dr. Prasad, but I agree that Sarepta needed to pull its drug off the market. Of all the moves he made, I feel that one was the least controversial. We'll have to see what ultimately was the cause of this resignation. 

Meanwhile, the political independence of FDA is basically fully gone. I don't think the Trump Administration realizes how they are killing the golden goose that is the American life sciences/pharmaceutical complex, from academia to industry to government. I hope these moves are reversible, but most of them are not, I fear. 

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 49 research/teaching positions and 5 teaching positions

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 49 research/teaching positions and 5 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 July 30, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 57 research/teaching positions and five teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's a 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. 

C&EN: "AstraZeneca to put $50 billion into US facilities"

Via C&EN's Aayushi Pratap, this onshoring news: 

AstraZeneca is reversing a history of outsourcing its production of pharmaceutical chemicals with a plan to expand manufacturing capacity in the US. It is also the latest big drug company to announce expansion of its footprint in the US.

AstraZeneca’s CEO, Pascal Soriot, announced plans earlier this week to invest $50 billion in the US by 2030 to build new manufacturing units and expand existing ones. They include a project to develop a pharmaceutical chemical facility in Virginia. The plant will be the company’s largest single manufacturing investment ever, according to an AstraZeneca press release.

The new facility will produce small molecules, peptides, and oligonucleotides for drug candidates the firm is developing for weight management and metabolic disorders. “The facility will leverage AI, automation, and data analytics to optimize production,” the press release says. 

The investments also include an expansion of AstraZeneca’s R&D facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland; a new R&D center in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and cell therapy manufacturing facilities in Rockville, Maryland, and Tarzana, California.

For the record, this is great potential news for American chemists. 

I really like how the article quotes perennial C&EN favorite James Bruno, who is skeptical how many of these many facilities will be built. For the record, I think he is right and the likelihood that all of these many facilities will be built is well below 50%. We shall see...

Have a great weekend

I had a great week (naturally, being on vacation.) I hope that you had a restful week as well, and that you have a wonderful weekend. I'll see you on Monday. 

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 42 research/teaching positions and 5 teaching positions

 The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 42 research/teaching positions and 5 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 July 23, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 45 research/teaching positions and four teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's a 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: radiochemistry teaching, Forbes Research Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

From the inbox: 

The Forbes Research Group at the University of Iowa has an outstanding opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar working in the area of radiochemistry curriculum and laboratory development.

This position is supported by funding from the Association of Public Health Laboratories and is associated with the University of Iowa Department of Chemistry Radiochemistry Graduate Certificate Program. The postdoctoral scholar will leverage this support to design and develop an advanced laboratory course and expand lecture-based content in radiochemistry—enhancing both educational offerings and practical training within the certificate program.

Initial term: one year with the possibility of renewal based on performance and funding.

Start date: TBD (must be after Ph.D. completion)

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.  

Have a great weekend

Well, this has been a wild week for me so far. Next week is a vacation week for me (I hope). I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. Limited posting next week, but we'll see you (guaranteed) a week from Monday. 

Brookline, MA student injured in IPA fire

Via Vivi Smilgius of Brookline News: 

A Brookline High School student and teacher were burned when a fire broke out on July 3 during a chemistry experiment in a summer school class, according to Brookline and state fire authorities.

The student, a 15-year-old, was treated at the scene by Brookline firefighters and taken to Boston Children’s Hospital for first- and second-degree burns to the hands, chest and face, according to Brookline Fire Chief John Sullivan.

The student was the only person treated by the Brookline Fire Department, Sullivan said. The teacher sustained “burns that were less serious,” according to Jake Wark, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Fire Marshal. Fire officials did not identify the student or teacher.

Brookline’s fire investigation team is investigating the incident, assisted by the state marshal’s office.

“The preliminary evidence suggests that a teacher was conducting an experiment that involved isopropyl alcohol, which is highly flammable. During this process, the alcohol ignited and the shirt of a student in close proximity caught fire, causing serious burn injuries,” Wark said in a statement to Brookline.News.

The teacher immediately helped the student, and another student used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, Wark said.

The Public Schools of Brookline did not respond to requests for comment from Brookline.News.

Justin Brown, the president of the Brookline Educators’ Union, declined to comment on the incident.

Seems to me that if we keep having teachers making mistakes with flammable solvents, we will continue to have injured students. It's a shame America can't seem to stop this from happening. 

Media report: "Israeli chemist faced unrelenting antisemitism at Stanford lab, lawsuit alleges"

Via the Jewish News of Northern California, this report: 

An Israeli scientist who came to Stanford as a postdoctoral fellow is suing the university, alleging it failed to take seriously the extreme antisemitic discrimination he said he experienced while researching treatments for diabetes from April 2024 to February 2025.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Los Angeles-based law firm Cohen Williams filed the suit on his behalf Thursday morning in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The lawsuit makes 17 allegations of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, defamation, withholding pay and breach of contract. The allegations include violations of both the federal Civil Rights Act and the state Unruh Civil Rights Act.

Shay Laps, a chemist from the Haifa area, said he faced hostility “from the moment of his arrival” in April 2024 at the Stanford Diabetes Research Center, which is part of Stanford’s School of Medicine. According to the lawsuit, as the months went on Laps was subjected to attempts at intimidation by his supervisor and efforts to remove him from the lab.

On reading the lawsuit, it appears that neither his coworker nor his PI was particularly friendly nor professional. Here's hoping that he ends up in a better laboratory. 

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 28 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 28 research/teaching positions and 3 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 July 16, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 35 research/teaching positions and four teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's a 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. 

Have a good weekend

Well, this was a relatively quiet week. I hope that you had a quiet week, and that you have as restful and fun of a weekend as I am hoping to have. We'll see you on Monday. 

FiercePharma: "Trump renews 200% tariff threat on pharmaceuticals, indicates plan for grace period"

Via FiercePharma: 

Already late with carrying out his administration's prior threats around pharmaceutical tariffs, President Donald Trump has again renewed his pledge of quickly imposing drug levies.

During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the President raised the prospect of slapping tariffs as high as 200% on foreign-made pharmaceutical products. In addition, he said he plans to give manufacturers at least a year to move their operations to the U.S.

“We’re going to give people about a year, a year and a half, to come in,” Trump said, as quoted by Bloomberg. “And after that they’re going to be tariffed if they have to bring the pharmaceuticals into the country, the drugs and other things, into the country. They’re going to be tariffed at a very, very high rate, like 200%. We’ll give them a certain period of time to get their act together.”

I have been on record for a while observing that these tariffs seem unlikely to happen. I continue to believe this, especially since this is such a vital industry and the blowback would be almost immediate. Will the President pullet out? We shall see. 

I was also interested to note this obscure Bloomberg item: 

"Australia is “urgently seeking” more detail on President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 200% tariffs on pharmaceutical imports to the US, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said... 

Australia exported A$2.1 billion ($1.4 billion) worth of medicinal/pharmaceutical products to the US in 2024, or 38% of the nation’s overseas shipments of pharmaceuticals. That accounted for 0.4% of total goods exports, according to AMP Ltd."

I don't think of Australia as a major exporter of pharma goods into the US (they are not a large portion (I estimate them to be 0.5% or so ($1.4 billion and US imports overall appear to be in the $200 billion range)), but who knew? 

We'll see how this shakes out...

Thea Ekins-Coward receives $6.7 million dollar settlement from University of Hawaii-Manoa

Via KHON, this news at the end of a nine year legal saga: 

HONOLULU (KHON2) — An academic researcher who was severely injured in a lab explosion at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa reached a $6.7 million settlement after an almost decade-long legal battle.

Dr. Thea Ekins-Coward lost a portion of her right arm when her experiment exploded back in March 2016.

Following the incident, the university denied liability, saying Ekins-Coward was an employee covered by limited workers’ compensation.

Here's her legal firm's public statement: 

An academic researcher was seriously injured when her laboratory experiment exploded.  The university who sponsored the research denied liability. The university first claimed that, as our client’s employer, her claims against it were barred by the workers’ compensation statutes.  So, we obtained a ruling that our client was not the university’s employee, even though the university paid her a stipend and provided her certain benefits.

The university next blamed our client for using inappropriate and unsafe equipment.  But we showed that the university approved the equipment, and that the university should have better trained our client on safety measures that should be taken when working with explosive gasses.

The settlement we achieved was calculated to take care of our client’s needs going forward. And as a result of the investigation, universities across the country changed their laboratory safety practices so that other researchers would not suffer similar injuries.

I hope the settlement ends this long and painful chapter for Dr. Ekins-Coward, who appears to have moved on with her life in science. 

From the broad academic chemical/laboratory safety perspective, I simply do not think anymore (after the Beacon rainbow flame incident) that large settlements actually make a national impact. Individual PIs and researchers will definitely not hesitate to set up risky experiments because (I suspect) they are simply not experienced enough or not trained enough to recognize that (for example) a gas mixture of hydrogen and oxygen would require strict control of static electricity in the research environment. 

Best wishes to Dr. Ekins-Coward. 

I cannot help but also think that in today's clearly restricted funding environment, one possible outcome may be that schools will cut down on research safety oversight. I'm not sure that will have a dramatic impact on overall incidences of laboratory safety incidents in either direction, but it sure won't help. 

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 19 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions

 The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 19 research/teaching positions and 3 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 July 9, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 24 research/teaching positions and two teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's a 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: computational biology, Han Lab, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas

From the inbox: 

The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas is seeking to hire a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join Dr. Yanxiao Han’s computational biological laboratory. The Han Lab is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to contribute to interdisciplinary research at the interface of molecular biophysics, hormone signaling, and therapeutic design. 

The primary focus of the lab is on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), particularly those involved in cardiovascular and hormone signaling pathways. Using multiscale simulations—combining molecular dynamics, enhanced sampling, and kinetic modeling—the team investigates how neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and hormones such as estrogen interact with β-adrenergic and estrogen-related GPCRs. 

These studies aim to uncover the molecular basis of GPCR cross-talk and its impact on sex-specific cardiovascular function and disease. The lab is also interested in AI-driven design of peptides and proteins for therapeutic applications. This includes previously developed novel peptide drugs inspired by natural toxins to selectively target ion channels, as well as engineering antimicrobial peptides using machine learning and structural modeling approaches. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work on the mechanistic study of GPCR-mediated signaling, the rational design of next-generation biologics for precision medicine, and beyond.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. in biophysics, computational biology, chemistry, pharmacology, or a related field
• Strong background in molecular dynamics simulations and/or protein modeling
• Experience with enhanced sampling methods, multiscale modeling, and/or kinetic modeling is highly desirable
• Interest in translational applications, including peptide/protein therapeutics or cardiovascular drug development
• Experience mentoring students in a collaborative research environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Development and application of AI-driven methods in computational biomedical/biological related research
• Experience collaborating with experimental (wet-lab) researchers
• Strong communication skills

Full link here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Independence Day

It's Independence Day in the United States, which is a national holiday. We'll see you on Monday. 

 

Job posting: Senior Process Development Engineer/Chemist, Evonik, Allentown, PA

Via LinkedIn, this position: 

As a Senior Process Development Engineer, you will:

• Lead research, development, and scale-up of next generation, sustainable, and complex products across various assets.
• Design and execute experiments using reaction engineering, chemistry, and chemical engineering fundamentals, leveraging tools like DOE, chemical analysis, and data modeling, while encouraging diverse perspectives in problem-solving and decision-making.

Education and Experience

• MS or PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field
• Minimum of 7 years of industrial experience in a chemical laboratory research setting
• Experience in manufacturing or pilot plant settings strongly preferred

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 16 research/teaching positions

The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 16 research/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 July 2, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 17 research/teaching positions and two teaching position. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's a 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: computational biology, Han Lab, University of North Texas, Denton, TX

From the inbox: 

The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas is seeking to hire a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join Dr. Yanxiao Han’s computational biological laboratory. The Han Lab is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to contribute to interdisciplinary research at the interface of molecular biophysics, hormone signaling, and therapeutic design. 

The primary focus of the lab is on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), particularly those involved in cardiovascular and hormone signaling pathways. Using multiscale simulations—combining molecular dynamics, enhanced sampling, and kinetic modeling—the team investigates how neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and hormones such as estrogen interact with β-adrenergic and estrogen-related GPCRs. 

These studies aim to uncover the molecular basis of GPCR cross-talk and its impact on sex-specific cardiovascular function and disease. The lab is also interested in AI-driven design of peptides and proteins for therapeutic applications. This includes previously developed novel peptide drugs inspired by natural toxins to selectively target ion channels, as well as engineering antimicrobial peptides using machine learning and structural modeling approaches. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work on the mechanistic study of GPCR-mediated signaling, the rational design of next-generation biologics for precision medicine, and beyond.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. in biophysics, computational biology, chemistry, pharmacology, or a related field
• Strong background in molecular dynamics simulations and/or protein modeling
• Experience with enhanced sampling methods, multiscale modeling, and/or kinetic modeling is highly desirable
• Interest in translational applications, including peptide/protein therapeutics or cardiovascular drug development
• Experience mentoring students in a collaborative research environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Development and application of AI-driven methods in computational biomedical/biological related research
• Experience collaborating with experimental (wet-lab) researchers
• Strong communication skills

Full link here. Best wishes to those interested.