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. 

Job posting: DARPA Innovation Fellow

Via C&EN Jobs:

What is the DARPA Innovation Fellowship? 

The DARPA Innovation Fellowship is a two-year position at DARPA for early career scientists and engineers. The fellows will develop and manage a portfolio of high-impact, exploratory efforts to identify breakthrough technologies for national security. 

Why become a DARPA Innovation Fellow? 

Fellows will push the limits of existing technology through the rapid exploration of a high volume of promising new ideas focused on answering high risk/high reward “what if?” questions and assessing the impact of further investment. 

Fellows will also have the opportunity to work with DARPA program managers as well as the university, industry, and non-profit performers who work on DARPA-funded research. Being a DARPA Innovation Fellow is a great way to begin a career in the sciences. DARPA Innovation Fellows will have the opportunity to make extensive connections across an extraordinarily rich, technologically-focused network. The fellowship is an in-person salaried position at DARPA in Arlington, Virginia. Fellows will be part of the Defense Sciences Office; however, the fellows will work across disciplines represented in all DARPA technical offices. 

Who may apply to become a DARPA Innovation Fellow? 

Recent Ph.D. graduates (within five years of receiving a doctorate) and active-duty military with STEM degrees may apply to become a DARPA Innovation Fellow. In exceptional cases, DARPA may consider bachelor- or master’s-level candidates with STEM degrees. As DARPA is part of the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. citizenship is required for the fellowship, and selected candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance as well as pass a pre-employment drug test and random testing during the two-year employment period. 

 Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

NYT obit on Frank Popoff

Via the New York Times, an obituary for a former Dow CEO: 

Frank Popoff, a chief executive and chairman who tried to make Dow Chemical more conciliatory toward regulators and environmentalists in the late 1980s and ’90s, and who prodded the chemical industry to adopt safer practices, died on Feb. 25 at his home in Midland, Mich., where Dow is based. He was 88.

...Inspired by a high school teacher who had been gassed while fighting in World War I, Mr. Popoff studied chemistry at Indiana University, where he earned both a bachelor’s degree and master of business administration degree in the same year, 1959.

He did not want to be a chemist, however.

“Perhaps I lacked the creativity and the vision that successful chemists have,” he said in an interview in 2012 with the Chemical Heritage Foundation (now the Science History Institute, in Philadelphia). “I was really interested in the commercialization and application of chemistry.”

He joined Dow in 1959 and stayed with the company for 41 years. He worked in its urethane laboratory, then in technical services and chemical sales in the early 1960s. Over the next quarter century, he moved into increasingly influential positions: president of Dow Europe in 1981, executive vice president of Dow Chemical in 1985 and, two years later, president and chief executive. He was named chairman in 1992....

I am surprised that no one (that I am aware of) has done a study of Dow and DuPont CEOs and where they got their start. It'd be interesting to know the most probable trajectories to senior leadership, and what were the most important waystations. 

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 534 research/teaching positions and 80 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 534 research/teaching positions and 80 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.  

Chemours CEO and CFO placed on leave due to earnings report problem

Via Delaware Online: 

Wilmington-based chemical giant The Chemours Co., a spinoff of the DuPont chemical empire, is in apparent tumult at the uppermost levels of management.

Three senior executive officers, including the CEO and chief financial officer, have been placed on leave, the company announced to investors Thursday morning.

Shares plunged after the announcement by nearly half at the start of trading Thursday morning, before recovering to $19 by noon — remaining approximately 33% lower than at the beginning of trading that morning.

Two weeks ago, Chemours failed to release its quarterly earnings report as scheduled. A director on the board, Sandra Phillips Rogers, also announced in February she would step down and that a new director would join the board on Friday, March 1.

Thursday's announcement hit the top levels of executive and financial leadership of the company and also signaled a full audit that includes outside counsel after apparent reports received to the company's ethics hotline.

"What we think many perceived as likely a relatively minor accounting hangup two weeks ago now appears wider, longer, and with more ramifications than the market initially believed," Barclays analyst Michael Leithead told Reuter's news service on Thursday.

I don't know much about large company finances, but I'm guessing it would take quite a number of people working together to cook the books. I wonder how long the problem has gone on? Best wishes to all those at Chemours. 

Meet Mona Minkara

In this week's C&EN, this profile of Northeastern University professor Mona Minkara: 

At age 7, Mona Minkara was diagnosed with macular degeneration and cone-rod dystrophy, which eventually led to blindness. A doctor “point-blank told my mom that it wasn’t worth spending a penny on my education,” she recalled years later as she delivered a speech at her commencement from Wellesley College.

Minkara completed her PhD in chemistry at the University of Florida, and in 2019, she joined the faculty at Northeastern University in Boston. Her lab uses computational simulation techniques to investigate chemical interactions at the air-water interface in the lungs. The lab aims to simulate pulmonary surfactants—naturally occurring mixtures of proteins and lipids that coat the inside of the lungs’ winding passageways and keep them from collapsing. Drug developers could one day use the simulation data to possibly develop better therapeutics.

I know it's a cliche, but her profile is genuinely inspiring. Read the whole thing. 

Have a great weekend

Long week, but no complaints. Here's hoping for a restful weekend. Here's hoping you had a good week, and that you have a great weekend. See you on Monday! 

Bloomberg: Leaking concrete accelerants caused chemical burns

Via Bloomberg, this news: 

The muck pooling in the tunnel at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip had the consistency of a milkshake and, in some places, sat at least two feet deep. The tunnel-to-be, which would eventually stretch about half a mile, was part of a system intended to connect two hotels, the Encore Las Vegas and the Westgate, with the enormous Las Vegas Convention Center. Workers doing the digging later said they had to wade through the mud every day. It splashed up over their boots, hit their arms and faces and soaked through their clothes. At first, it merely felt damp. But in addition to the water, sand and silt—the natural byproducts of any dig—the workers understood that it was full of chemicals known as accelerants.

The accelerants cure the grout that seals the tunnel’s concrete supports, helping the grout set properly and protecting the work against cracks and other deterioration. They also seriously burn exposed human skin. At the Encore dig site, such burns became almost routine, workers there told Nevada’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. An investigation by the state OSHA, which Bloomberg Businessweek has obtained via a freedom of information request, describes workers being scarred permanently on their arms and legs. According to the investigation, at least one employee took a direct hit to the face. In an interview with Businessweek, one of the tunnel workers recalls the feeling of exposure to the chemicals: “You’d be like, ‘Why am I on fire?’”

I'd love to know why calcium nitrate (or other potential curing accelerants) might cause burns, but I'm not particularly surprised exposure would cause some unpleasant symptoms.  

Job posting: Principal Chemist Rotational, ChampionX, Sugar Land, TX

Via C&EN Jobs: 

ChampionX has an immediate need for a highly motivated Principal Chemist on the Chemical Technologies RD&E team located in Sugar Land, TX. The qualified candidate will be a part of an introductory rotational program designed to develop broad expertise in oilfield specialty chemicals, accelerate high impact innovation, and enhance leadership skills. During each of a minimum three - 6- month rotations, the Principal Chemist will use applied scientific research to develop novel solutions to improve sustainability and increase efficiency in petroleum energy production. After completing the rotations, the individual will move into a longer-term role as part of the Chemical Technologies RD&E team. 

What You Will Do:

Lead high impact projects to solve global energy challenges Create novel chemistries/formulations Develop new lab testing capabilities Explore adjacent technology Drive sustainability and digital solutions Interface with both internal and external customers

Minimum Qualifications:

Recent PhD in Chemistry, Chemical engineering, Materials Science or related technical field. Experience in tailoring molecular structure property relationships to solve real world problems Proven track record of innovation and problem solving – multiple publications/patents/presentations Ability to interpret data from advanced analytical techniques to solve problems (GC-MS, LC-MS, NMR, GPC, XRF, SEM, etc.) The ability to work independently and in a team environment Detail orientated and outstanding time management skills. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to travel up to 15%

 Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.

Better late than never?

Via BlueSky, this hilarious email to Dr. Andrew Thaler. 

(Why does it seem like HR departments aren't very good at all of this communicating?) 

(my crazy idea: a federal law that requires employers to provide a rejection with 6 to 9 months of initial application. Maybe it should be accompanied by some kind of lawsuit amnesty? (i.e. you can't be sued for simply saying "no" to an applicant), although you would want to have way to preserve the ability to sue for legitimate discrimination claims.) 

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 532 research/teaching positions and 80 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 532 research/teaching positions and 80 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.  

Classroom activity with dry ice causes kids to get nauseous?

Via Tennesee TV station WKRN: 

GALLATIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — Authorities responded to a Sumner County elementary school Friday morning after children became ill during an experiment involving dry ice in a science class.

Crews were reportedly called to Vena Stuart Elementary School on Hart Street shortly before 9:15 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 16.

According to officials, a third grade class was conducting an experiment with dry ice as part of a STEM activity with an outside speaking group, but immediately afterward, several children became nauseous and went to see the school nurse. The nurse contacted school administrators, who reached out to Sumner County first responders.

“Quickly realizing that this was going to be a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Sumner County Emergency Management, Sumner County Sheriff’s Department, Gallatin Fire Department and Gallatin Police Department were requested for assistance,” Sumner County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) said in a statement.

How much dry ice do you have to have in one place in order to induce nausea in kids? I've breathed a lot of dry ice fumes in my life, and never once felt any nausea, so I'm trying to understand this. 

C&EN: "Teva to divest API business"

In this week's C&EN, this news (article by Aayushi Pratap) 

Amid rising competition, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries intends to divest its active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) unit to focus on other businesses, including in-house drug development. In 2023, the 4,300-employee unit, a provider of small-molecule APIs, recorded sales of $568 million to third parties—a 16% decrease from 2022. The business also supplies APIs to Teva. The firm expects to complete the divestiture in the first half of 2025.

I'm rather surprised that Teva is selling its API business, but maybe I don't understand how their company works...  

Have a great weekend

Well, this was a weird week, with some wins and a couple of losses. Overall, not a bad week, I suppose. Here's hoping that you had a good week, and that you're looking towards a great weekend. See you on Monday! 

The best article you'll read about ramen today

Via Chicago magazine, this rather wonderful (if intense) article: 

Striving for a perfect bowl of ramen — even if it can’t practically be achieved — requires more than feel, intuition, and thousands of hours of muscle memory. It demands exactitude measured in decimals, seconds, and milligrams, using levels, humidity gauges, and refractometers. It is cooking that veers into the domain of laboratory science.

Ask Satinover why this kind of precision is necessary — or really any question at all — and you’ll get an answer that is thought out, quantitative, ready to be bullet-pointed: “There are two reasons. From a business perspective, it’s consistency. My intuition about what’s right isn’t applicable to every component of every dish. I need a control, and numbers are easy to control. The other reason is to avoid having to think about it, to avoid the mental load of what’s correct and what’s not. The number is correct. Twenty grams of onions is correct, not 10 onions. What if you have a larger onion? It’s for a reduction in mental exhaustion.”

I have so many thoughts about this article, and how much I admire Satinover's approach to quality, consistency and his quest for excellence in a bowl. I really admire his search for the right tool for the job (a refractometer for the broth, wow!) 

It feels like launching new restaurants in modern America feels like a bit of a Houdini trick where you are chained inside a box and thrown in a pool and you have six months to either escape or you drown. In that sense, I'm delighted not to be Satinover. 

Job posting: chemist, Nestlé Quality Assurance Center, Dublin, OH

Via Indeed, this position: 

The Chemist may undertake advanced analytical work with a minimum of preliminary instruction; modify methods for nonroutine problems; assist with method development; coordinate the work of a small group within the section as necessary.

Chemist expectations:

• Possess advanced instrumentation skills - troubleshooting, preventive maintenance
• Represent NQAC at internal and external meetings as directed.
• Independent Participation in Customer Calls/Technical Support
• Modify methods to resolve problems requiring knowledge of theory and underlying principles of the analysis.
• Make recommendations for new equipment and methodology.

Qualifications / Certifications

• BS in Related Science: 5 years experience in food science laboratory or closely related laboratory environment Or
• MS in Related Science: 2-5 years experience in food science laboratory or closely related laboratory environment Or
• PhD in Related Science: 0-2 years experience in food science laboratory or closely related laboratory environment

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

483 of the week: lying QC manager edition

Via FiercePharma, these tidbits from an FDA inspection (PDF) of Sichuan Deebio Pharmaceutical: 

The Form 483 relays an especially troubling event during the inspection when Sichuan Deebio’s quality control team leader provided “misleading information” about records on the results of a microbiology test.

At first, the quality control chief lied about viewing those test results, logging them and leaving them with another team member on a different floor of the facility, the FDA contends in its report. Then she changed tack, claiming she had not read the results, before switching back to a story similar to her first. At last, the QC chief “finally” admitted that she was “not telling the truth about recording the results on respective data worksheets, and no worksheet existed,” investigators wrote in the Form 483.

To make matters worse, investigators subsequently asked the quality leader how she kept track of the test results, to which she replied that they were “in her ‘mind.’”

There's a lot of lab results in my mind (well, there was), but I usually tried to write them down really quickly.  

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 526 research/teaching positions and 80 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 526 research/teaching positions and 80 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 21, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 608 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.  

Economists quantify the impact of NIH funding delays

Via Marginal Revolution: 

We study how delays in NIH grant funding affect the career outcomes of research personnel. Using comprehensive earnings and tax records linked to university transaction data along with a difference-in-differences design, we find that a funding interruption of more than 30 days has a substantial effect on job placements for personnel who work in labs with a single NIH R01 research grant, including a 3 percentage point (40%) increase in the probability of not working in the US. 

Incorporating information from the full 2020 Decennial Census and data on publications, we find that about half of those induced into nonemployment appear to permanently leave the US and are 90% less likely to publish in a given year, with even larger impacts for trainees (postdocs and graduate students). Among personnel who continue to work in the US, we find that interrupted personnel earn 20% less than their continuously-funded peers, with the largest declines concentrated among trainees and other non-faculty personnel (such as staff and undergraduates). Overall, funding delays account for about 5% of US nonemployment in our data, indicating that they have a meaningful effect on the scientific labor force at the national level.

From the conclusions of the paper: 

Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that when the renewal of a PI’s R01 is interrupted, their hired personnel are immediately and persistently less likely to work in the US at least up to five years later.

I suppose it is not a surprise that impacts to a PI's funding situation negatively impact their laboratories, but it is important to see it quantified. It makes you wonder if having more R01's available would be better or worse in the long term for the scientific labor force. 

Job posting: Research Chemist (Heroin Drug Program Technical Authority), Drug Enforcement Administration

Via C&EN Jobs, this position:

This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Special Testing and Research Laboratory. You will serve as a Research Chemist functioning as the agency's expert on heroin and opium chemistry, heroin production, signature analysis of heroin and opium, illicit opium poppy cultivation, & world-wide heroin trafficking trends.

This position(s) primary purpose is to support the DEA Operational Support Division, Office of Forensic Sciences, Special Testing & Research Laboratory.

As a your typical work assignments may include:

• Conducting research on heroin and opium to recognize new trends and/or changes in illicit opium cultivation and clandestine heroin.
• Developing methods to target opium and process-related impurities to gain insight into heroin production techniques.
• Demonstrating leadership qualities and promoting an inspired, collaborative work environment.
• Deriving intelligence data and information from signature analysis and communicates the findings via emails, phone calls, reports, and intelligence bulletins or notes.
• Serving as an expert in the acquisition, compilation, and review of chemistry data from a variety of analytical techniques to include spectrometry, spectroscopy, and chromatography, as well as expertise in organic chemistry

It feels like these positions get announced on a regular basis, which makes me wonder what the turnover for these positions might be. Best wishes to those interested. 

The Best Obituary About Slide Rules Geeks You Will Read Today

 Via the New York Times, this delightful* obituary: 

...One day, about 20 years later, a middle-aged avionics engineer by the name of Walter Shawlee was looking through a drawer at his home in Kelowna, a midsize city in British Columbia, when he happened upon his old slide rule from high school.

It was a Keuffel & Esser pocket Deci-Lon, model 68-1130, with a slender Ivorite body and delicate see-through cursor box. Both had stood the test of time. Mr. Shawlee remembered that as a teenager he had spent six months saving up money to buy it.

Mr. Shawlee was not merely a slide-rule sentimentalist in thrall to memories of teenage geekdom. He argued that slide rules had intrinsic appeal for several reasons.

He saw dignity, for example, in their solidity and design. A 1999 Times profile quoted Mr. Shawlee describing slide rules as “the techno-guys’ version of a broadsword.” On his website, The Slide Rule Universe, he contrasted them with digital technology. “In 50 years, the computer you are using to view this webpage will be landfill,” he wrote, “but your trusty slide rule will just be nicely broken in!”

You have to check out his website in all of its 1999 glory. As a weird guy with a weird blog, I love it. RIP Walter Shawlee. 

*yes, I recognize the irony

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 524 research/teaching positions and 75 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 524 research/teaching positions and 75 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 14, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 586 research/teaching positions and 65 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: "Novo Nordisk parent to acquire Catalent to shore up weight-loss drug production"

Via C&EN, this news (article by Aayushi Pratap)

Novo Holdings, the Danish investment giant that also controls Novo Nordisk, has agreed to acquire Catalent, one of the largest US drug-manufacturing contractors, for $16.5 billion. The deal could help Novo Nordisk boost production of its weight-loss drug Wegovy, which has gained immense popularity since the US Food and Drug Administration approved it in June 2021.

Novo Holdings expects to close the acquisition by the end of 2024, after which it will sell three of Catalent’s sites—in Anagni, Italy; Bloomington, Indiana; and Brussels, Belgium—to Novo Nordisk for $11 billion. Novo Nordisk is trying to boost the supply of Wegovy and a similar diabetes drug, Ozempic. The drugs, which contain the active substance semaglutide, work by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which reduces appetite, leading to weight loss.

Last year, Novo Nordisk announced it will spend over $8 billion to expand manufacturing sites in France and Denmark to boost production of drugs in its chronic illness portfolio, which includes Ozempic and Wegovy. However, as of early February, semaglutide injections continued to be labeled as being in short supply by the FDA.

I know I am a weirdo for harping on this, but it seems evident to me. Novo should have made these moves years ago, and I am genuinely curious if they will ultimately find themselves on the back foot because they were not able to ramp up manufacturing fast enough. 

Also, I think it is ridiculous that Lilly is complaining that Novo bought Catalent - surely you fellas could have done that too! 

Have a great weekend

Well, this week didn't quite go as I hoped, but I think it's going to go all right. Thought I would throw in a tribute to Toby Keith, whose music I quite enjoyed in the late 90s. There is something about this song that reminds me of how I feel about this blog, which is why I chose it. 

Hope that you have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Monday. 

FDA points to specific person who contaminated cinnamon with lead

Via Ars Technica's Beth Mole, this news about the lead-contaminated applesauce:  

A spice grinder named Carlos Aguilera of Ecuador is the likely source of contaminated cinnamon containing extremely high levels of lead and chromium, which made its way into the apple cinnamon fruit pouches of US toddlers, according to an announcement by the Food and Drug Administration this week.

To date, there have been 413 cases of poisoning across 43 US states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA said Ecuadorian officials at the Agencia Nacional de Regulación, Control y Vigilancia Sanitaria (ARCSA) identified Aguilera as the cinnamon processor and reported to the FDA that his business is no longer operating. Aguilera received raw cinnamon sticks sourced from Sri Lanka, which, according to raw sample testing conducted by ARCSA, had no lead contamination upon their arrival. After Aguilera processed the cinnamon, it was supplied by a company called Negasmart to Austrofoods, the manufacturer of the apple cinnamon pouches.

Being a lead level extremist*, I think this guy is a terrible person. I am glad that this was caught before it could become a worse problem, but it seems to me that it should not have gotten this far. I don't think it's practical or desirable to test every single molecule of every single lot of food that is imported, but it is genuinely alarming that we have a hole wide enough for lead-contaminated applesauce to actively destroy the minds of American children.  

*my definition: I believe there is no safe level of lead exposure for children.

Job posting: Laboratory Safety Specialist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA

Via C&EN Jobs: 

LBNL has an opening for a Laboratory Safety Specialist in the Environment, Health, & Safety Division (EHS). In this role, you will provide customer-service oriented laboratory and chemical safety technical expertise, consultation, and support. Your role will help Berkeley Lab line management provide a safe and healthful workplace for employees and assure the Laboratory meets applicable ES&H-related Department of Energy (DOE) orders, regulatory requirements, and performance measures.

Laboratory Safety Specialist (Level II) – Required Qualifications:

• B.S./B.A. in Chemistry or related field and 3 to 5 years of diverse, relevant experience in the laboratory environment and/or ES&H field; or M.S. and 1 to 3 years of experience or Ph.D. and up to 1 year of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge and ability to apply health and safety principles, theories and concepts to provide creative solutions to intermediate problems and develop mechanisms for measuring results.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, implement, maintain and monitor Health and Safety programs and initiatives, including development and execution of training, writing procedures, and conducting inspections and exposure assessments in laboratory and technical areas. 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Your Wednesday must read: "The Pharma & Biotech Layoff Survival Guide", by Hornberger and Shah

I've long admired Keith Hornberger's writings on med chem, and his new work with Vega Shah "The Pharma & Biotech Layoff Survival Guide" is no different. This paragraph near the introduction is a good summary: 

I’ve been in the pharma & biotech industry for almost 22 years and am now on my fourth job. Of the three partings I’ve gone through, one was a relatively traumatic layoff and the other two were initiated by me for my own career advancement — although in both of those cases, as fate would have it, I narrowly dodged layoffs that followed within months of my departure. When I share that anecdote with people, I’m sometimes asked if I have a “Spidey Sense” about layoffs. Indeed, folks in my current workplace who hear this tale will half-jokingly ask me to give them a heads-up if I’m thinking about leaving. While I don’t believe in the Spidey Sense, I do believe that active career management is the way to go for your long term happiness — and the preparedness that goes into a planned move will also serve you well for the unfortunate unplanned moves too.

It is a great bit of advice, and I am glad that Keith and Vega wrote it. Read the whole thing. 

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 521 research/teaching positions and 73 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 521 research/teaching positions and 73 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 14, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 586 research/teaching positions and 65 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 posting: Assistant Teaching Professor in Chemistry, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

From the inbox: 

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Rhode Island invites applications for a full-time Assistant Teaching Professor position beginning July 1, 2024. Depending on the candidate’s expertise and departmental needs, there may also be opportunities to teach other introductory chemistry courses in the Department’s Curriculum.

Teaching faculty at URI are represented by URI’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). The AAUP collective bargaining agreement includes opportunities for promotion, multiyear appointments upon promotion, a defined salary structure, and protections of academic freedom.

The successful candidate will receive a starting salary of $75,523, along with comprehensive benefits offered by the State of Rhode Island.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will primarily teach two to three sections of General Chemistry or sophomore Organic Chemistry courses per semester.

The search will remain open until the position has been filled. First consideration will be given to applications received by February 29, 2024. Applications received after February 29, 2024, may be reviewed depending on search progress and needs, but are not guaranteed full consideration.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 135 positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List has 135 positions. Find an error or have a question? Find an error? Contact @Heatherlec620 or @G_sribala. 

This is the link to the open thread. 

NYT: "A Shape-Shifting Plastic With a Flexible Future"

 Via the New York Times, this pretty cool new paper: 

With restrictions on space and weight, what would you bring if you were going to Mars? An ideal option might be a single material that can shift shapes into any object you imagine.

In the morning, you could mold that material into utensils for eating. When breakfast is done, you could transform your fork and knife into a spade to tend to your Martian garden. And then when it’s happy hour on the red planet, that spade could become a cup for your Martian beer.

What sounds like science fiction is, perhaps, one step closer to reality. Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have created a new type of plastic with properties that can be set with heat and then locked in with rapid cooling, a process known as tempering. Unlike classic plastics, the material retains this stiffness when returned to room temperature.

The findings, published in the journal Science on Thursday, could someday change how astronauts pack for space.

Do click through to see the pretty cool video of the plastic doing its work. What a cool material - will be interesting to see what uses it gets up to. 

Have a great weekend

It feels like this week was a maelstrom that kept growing and growing, but this piece is a tiny bit of tranquility and beauty. It had its good moments, though. Here is hoping that your week was calmer than mine, and I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. See you on Monday. 

C&EN: "House bill targets some Chinese outsourcing firms"

This news (that I somehow missed) from friend of the blog Michael McCoy: 

The stock prices of the pharmaceutical outsourcing providers WuXi AppTec and WuXi Biologics were pummeled after a US House of Representatives committee introduced a bill that would restrict federally funded medical providers from using several Chinese outsourcing firms.

Based in Shanghai, WuXi AppTec is a top drug service provider and one of the world’s largest employers of chemists. WuXi Biologics is a separate company that WuXi AppTec spun off in 2017. The bill also mentions the private genomics firm BGI Group.

The draft bill, from the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, cites US national security concerns. It says WuXi AppTec has sponsored “military-civil fusion” events in China and received investments from a military-civil integration investment fund.

The bill also says WuXi Biologics CEO Chris Chen was previously an adjunct professor at the People’s Liberation Army Academy of Military Medical Sciences. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate.

WuXi AppTec says in a stock market announcement the findings stated in the draft bill are not accurate. “We are confident that the business development of WuXi AppTec will not pose a security risk to any country,” it says. In its own announcement, WuXi Biologics says the bill references a courtesy designation that Chen received after a guest lecture in 2013.

The language of the draft bill states the following (I think I got the key section): 

The head of an executive agency may not procure or obtain any biotechnology equipment or service produced or provided by a biotechnology company of concern; or enter into a contract or extend or renew a contract with any entity that uses biotechnology equipment or services produced or provided by a biotechnology company of concern and acquired after the applicable effective date in subsection (c) in performance of the contract; or enters into any contract the perform-19 ance of which will require the direct use of biotechnology equipment or services produced or provided by a biotechnology company of concern and acquired after the applicable effective date in subsection (c). 

I have to say, I am pretty unimpressed with this. First, it will never make it out of Congress. Second, what federal organizations contract with WuXi for drug development services? None of them, I bet. Finally, Congress isn't dumb enough (I think) to say "welp, Merck (or whoever), you're just going to have to stop doing business with WuXi." This is a bluff, and a stupid one. 

Postdoctoral position: Synthetic Organic or Polymer Chemistry, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

Via C&EN:

...We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Synthetic Physical Organic Chemistry who will focus on organic synthesis of novel monomers and polymers, supramolecular catalysts, and structural characterization of depolymerization products and other relevant small organic molecules. This position resides in the Nanomaterials Chemistry Group in the Separations & Polymer Chemistry Section, Chemical Sciences Division, Physical Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

As part of our research team, you will be responsible for delivering high impact research results to advance the work on polymer upcycling, cation separation and elucidation of reaction mechanisms. You will be very closely working with specialists in synthesis, separations chemistry, theory, spectroscopy, and materials characterization...

 Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The best article you'll read about illegal sand today

Via Scientific American, a fascinating article about the illegal sand trade: 

...Sand is any hard, granular material—stones, shells, whatever—between 0.0625 and two millimeters in diameter. Fine-quality sand is used in glass, and still-finer grades appear in solar panels and silicon chips for electronics. Desert sand typically consists of grains rounded like tiny marbles from constant weathering. The best sand for construction, however, has angular grains, which helps concrete mixtures bind. River sand is preferable to coastal sand, partly because coastal sand has to be washed free of salt. But coastal sand does get used, especially when builders take shortcuts, leading to buildings that have shorter life spans and pose greater risks for inhabitants. Such shortcuts worsened the damage from the disastrous February 2023 earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria, says Mette Bendixen, a physical geographer at McGill University who has investigated the effects of sand mining since 2017.

I was first alerted to sand mafias by Louise Shelley, who leads the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at George Mason University. Shelley realized sand mining could be a natural evolution of organized crime when, five years ago, she was a guest at a NATO lunch conference held near the Pentagon. A top NATO official approached her to talk about illegal fishing off West Africa, saying it posed a serious threat to European and NATO security. They talked about how the low threshold for entry into an environmental crime such as wildlife poaching can draw criminal rings and then lead them into other types of organized environmental crime, such as illegal logging. Sand mining was another case in point. Shelley says in northwestern Africa there is a confluence of trafficking factors: the region offers entry to European markets, and its mosaic of fragile governments, terrorist groups and corrupt international corporations makes it vulnerable....

It seems to me that you should be able to track sand, kind of like you can come up with the basic impurity profiles of olive oil and the like. That said, I can't imagine the dense network of large construction companies and (lol) sand brokers really care about the provenance of such a basic raw material...

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 513 research/teaching positions and 72 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 513 research/teaching positions and 72 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 31, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 586 research/teaching positions and 635teaching-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. 

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 135 positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List has 135 positions. Find an error or have a question? Find an error? Contact @Heatherlec620 or @G_sribala. 

This is the link to the open thread.