Well, sometimes you gotta work a Saturday and that's life in the big city. But that's all right - this hasn't been a bad week all around. I hope that you're had a good week and that you have a wonderful weekend. See you on Monday.
1. HELPING CHEMISTS FIND JOBS IN A TOUGH MARKET. 2. TOWARDS A QUANTITATIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE QUALITY OF THE CHEMISTRY JOB MARKET.
Friday, February 6, 2026
C&EN: "How chemistry helps make a highlight-reel catch"
It's either sweeps month at C&EN or it's Superbowl time (article by Max Barnhardt):
...But part of what made the Helmet Catch—and so many other spectacular catches in the National Football League (NFL)—possible is a little bit of chemistry baked into the gloves worn by receivers.
Most football gloves are made from a fabric that has been coated on the palm and fingers with a silicone that gives players extra grip as they make a catch.
Manufacturers probably use polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the main polymer on the surface of their gloves. Chains of PDMS are cross-linked to form a 3D network. Mike Brook, a synthetic polymer chemist at McMaster University, says chemists can give silicone all kinds of different properties by controlling the length of chains between cross-links.
Pretty cool article. I'm surprised this hasn't been covered before by C&EN, but I'm glad that it has. Read the whole thing!
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 376 research/teaching positions and 80 teaching positions
The 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 376 research/teaching positions and 80 teaching positions.
Want to help out? Here's a Google Form to enter positions.
On February 11, 2025, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 480 research/teaching positions and 81 teaching positions. On February 6, 2024, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 531 research/teaching positions and 73 teaching positions. To see long-term trending, go to Andrew Spaeth's visualization of previous years' list.
Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? 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.