Job posting: Senior Process Chemist III, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, Shelton, CT

From the inbox: 

MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, a business of Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI), is renowned worldwide for its commitment to revolutionizing the electronics industry. With a legacy spanning over a century, we have continually set new benchmarks for excellence, reliability, and sustainability in electronic materials.

Who are we looking for?

The selected individual will be responsible for transforming compounds and chemistries developed by the R&D team into commercially viable products. Key objectives include: (1) developing scalable production methods to enable larger batch quantities—initially for testing, followed by commercial manufacturing—and (2) establishing synthetic routes that prioritize safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. This role requires a balanced mix of theoretical expertise and hands-on experience. The ideal candidate will split their time between laboratory and production environments, conducting small-scale testing and reaction evaluations in the lab and facilitating successful large-scale implementation in the plant. Close collaboration with chemists, engineers, and operators is essential to drive innovation in product and process development. Additionally, this chemist will oversee the transfer of new products to the Pilot Production Laboratory and support the scale-up to High Volume Manufacturing (HVM), ensuring a seamless path to market.

Who are You?

• PhD degree > 3 years and or MS > 7 years of relevant experience, preferably in chemistry, or related field.
• > 3 years of formulation experience in electroplating or other wet process is preferred, especially in the Semiconductor or Printed Circuit Board industries.  
• Strong experience in chemical separation/purification such as filtration, evaporation, distillation, chromatography, and chemical characterization techniques (such as GPC, HPLC, LC-MS) that are used to analyze separated species. 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 418 research/teaching positions and 61 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 418 research/teaching positions and 61 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 November 28, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 461 research/teaching positions and 49 teaching positions.

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

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 112 research/teaching positions and 17 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 112 research/teaching positions and 17 teaching positions. 

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

CSB update on the BioLab fire in Conyers, GA

Via NBC, I see that the CSB has released its preliminary update on the Conyers, GA fire: 

Washington D.C. November 22, 2024 – Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an investigation update into the chemical reaction and toxic gas release on September 29, 2024, at the Bio-Lab, Inc. facility in Conyers, Georgia, that resulted in a massive fire and plume of toxic smoke that threatened the surrounding community and the metropolitan Atlanta area.

The reaction involved materials stored in a warehouse that generated heat, which led to the  decomposition of the product, the release of toxic vapors, and fires.  The primary substances involved in the reaction were trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) and sodium dichloroisocyanurate (DCCA), along with bromochloro-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione (BCDMH).  The resulting massive plumes of toxic smoke contained chlorine and other hazardous substances and caused significant offsite impacts. 

No major root cause updates as of yet, but the brown/red smoke is most likely from the bromo compound. Full report here.

Have a great weekend

Well, this turned out to be a darn good week, so I'm not going to complain about the medical procedure I have heading my way, lol. I hope that you had a good week, and that you do not have any procedures heading your way any time soon. I hope you have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Monday. 

Washington University (St. Louis) chemistry professor accused of sexual harassment

Via a Google News search for "chemistry", this news via Student Life, the newspaper of Washington University: 

Amidst allegations of inappropriate, non-consensual touching from multiple students, Associate Professor of Chemistry Jonathan Barnes is no longer teaching his section of organic chemistry for the rest of the semester, as of Nov. 14. 

Student Life spoke to four students who allegedly experienced non-consensual touching from Barnes on the arms, lower back, and upper thigh. Three of the students are currently enrolled in Barnes’ organic chemistry class, and one took the same course two years ago. Barnes has taught the class three times prior to the Fall 2024 semester since his hiring in 2016. 

Three of the four students have been granted anonymity due to concerns for their safety. Sources referred to throughout the article exclusively by their first name have been given pseudonyms to protect their identities. 

According to Barnes’ attorney, Christopher Combs, Barnes was temporarily relieved of teaching duties, following University policy, in order to “ensure all parties feel safe and supported,” but Barnes is still employed by the University and is continuing to carry out his research with students. Neither the University nor the Chemistry Department wished to comment on why Barnes, who was given tenure last year, is not teaching the organic chemistry course anymore.

Read the whole article here.

Postdoctoral posting: Experimental Investigation of Reactivity of Solid/Liquid Interface, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

Via C&EN Jobs: 

The Geochemistry and Interfacial Sciences (GIS) Group in the Chemical Sciences Division (CSD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) invites outstanding applications for a postdoctoral research associate to conduct experimental research focused on reactivity of solid-liquid interfaces, including on mineral nucleation and growth from aqueous solutions as well as interaction with carbon dioxide.

You will conduct experiments while making in situ observations as well as elevated temperature and pressure and analyzed ex situ. Experimental techniques might include X-ray/neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis with mass spectrometry, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation measurements, optical profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, or other techniques.

The GIS group functions as a team, so you are a team player who enjoys collaborating with the other personnel in the GIS group, as well as personnel at ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), the Spallation neutron source (SNS) and the high-flux isotope reactor (HFIR).

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 

• Conduct independent research using experimental techniques and multi-modal microscopy characterization, which will include developing/optimizing methodologies for mineral analyses.
• Perform mineral nucleation, growth and carbonation experiments.
• Collaborate with ORNL researchers on the design and execution of microscopy and X-ray/neutron scattering experiments and subsequent characterization.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Colorado state water quality lab reports problems with metals testing

Via KUSA: 

DENVER — The EPA has revoked a testing certification for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) water quality lab, after an investigation found a chemist intentionally disregarded protocol in a method that tests for traces of metals, 9NEWS Investigates has learned.

The investigation into the chemist’s actions began in February, according to the state health department, but wasn’t made public until 9NEWS Investigates started asking questions about it last week. State health officials said the data problems may impact as many as 3% of the state’s 2,000 public water systems...

...According to the health department, in February, a managing chemist discovered anomalies in test results relating to one water quality method, method 200.7, which tests for metals and trace elements of barium, copper and chromium in drinking water. When the anomalies were discovered, the acting chemist was removed from all laboratory testing and the department launched an investigation, according to Hope Shuler, interim communications director for the department.

But CDPHE had not notified the EPA of the lapse until early April, according to a letter from the EPA to the state health department revoking CDPHE’s certification to test for that method. The letter from mid-April also noted that CDPHE did not have a timeline to determine the scope of the investigation or a communication plan to let the impacted water systems know about the issues with the testing data...

It's hard to know what happened here, but another report has a comment from the state about an "intentional disregard of protocol." I suppose we'll have to wait for more reporting before we'll know what happened...

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 415 research/teaching positions and 58 teaching positions

 The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 415 research/teaching positions and 58 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 November 21, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 455 research/teaching positions and 47 teaching positions.

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

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 111 research/teaching positions and 17 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 111 research/teaching positions and 17 teaching positions. 

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

C&EN: "Is Europe running out of chemistry teachers?"

Via Chemical and Engineering News, this surprising article (article by Vanessa Zainzinger): 

...In the 2023–24 school year, schools in England were able to recruit only 65% of the teaching staff they needed for chemistry, according to NFER research based on UK Department for Education data. That’s a lot better than staff recruitment for physics, which reached only 17% of its target, but worse than biology—an outlier among science subjects—for which schools recruited 93% of the teachers needed.

Young chemists have many reasons to avoid a teaching career. The most obvious one, Worth says, is that chemistry graduates can earn more money in the chemical industry. On average in the UK, entry-​level chemistry teaching positions start at £32,500 ($42,000) per year. That matches the average starting salary in the chemical industry, but a gap between career paths forms after a few years.

“The starting salary might be relatively attractive, but teachers reach the top of the scale after about 5 years,” says Andy Harvey, national officer for education at the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), a union that represents educators in Scotland. Young teachers soon find themselves without opportunities for promotion, Harvey says. “The thing with chemistry teachers is, they do have marketable skills. They can get better pay elsewhere.”

Unions like the EIS are unimpressed by some widely publicized UK government recruitment schemes, such as grants of up to £28,000 ($36,000) for those enrolling in chemistry teacher training courses and an extensive “Get into Teaching” media campaign. These efforts might lure people to the classroom, but they won’t make them stay, Harvey says. Retention rates are terrible. EIS’s most recent school survey found that 40% of chemistry teachers working in Scotland are considering leaving the profession within the next 5 years.

I guess I don't think about teacher numbers in the UK or Europe (in chemistry or otherwise), but I didn't know the situation wasn't particularly great. It doesn't sound like things are much better in Germany, either. Read the whole thing. 

Have a good weekend

This was a fun week, but you never know what you might find in an Indiana cornfield. I hope that you had a great week, and I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. See you on Monday. 

Sad news from Corteva

Multiple sources have indicated that Corteva Agriscience chemistry (both process and discovery) has suffered a pretty large layoff. That's pretty bad news, and I'm sorry to hear that, especially since Indianapolis does not offer many chemists the opportunity to get a new job without moving. 

Best wishes to all affected. 

Job posting: Associate Research Scientist, Dyes, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York

Via C&EN Jobs, this position: 

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

As the Associate Research Scientist, you will perform analyses and conduct research on natural and synthetic dyes as found in textiles, drawings, prints, paintings and other works of art in the Museum’s collection.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

• Analyze works of art in collaboration with conservators, curators, and colleagues in the Department of Scientific Research, with a particular focus on natural and synthetic dyes.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to conduct research on dyes, their history, provenance, and their degradation mechanisms.
• Develop analytical methods to improve sensitivity and minimize sample size for dye analysis.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. in chemistry or equivalent experience (required).
• 2-4 years experience in analytical chemistry (required).
• Experience working in museum environments, specifically, either with or in proximity of art objects (preferred).
• Experience in gas and liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (required).
• Experience implementing advanced statistical analysis methods on scientific data (preferred).

Salary: $105,000 - $110,000. Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Large explosion at Louisville, KY food coloring plant

credit: Michael Clevenger / Courier Journal 

Via WHII, this news: 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A large explosion was reported Tuesday afternoon in Louisville's Clifton neighborhood, and it wasn't the first time the factory experienced a hazardous materials incident.

MetroSafe confirmed a large explosion occurred in the 1900 block of Payne Street at about 3 p.m. 

Louisville Metro police advised the public to stay away from the area.

The business located at the address is the Givaudan Sense Colour company was formerly known as D.D. Williamson Company. It's known for producing the caramel color in soft drinks. 

D.D. Williams and Company started in 1865 and was bought by Givaudan Sense Colour in 2021. 

Givaudan Sense Colour also has facilities in the US, Ireland, and UK but they are headquartered in Louisville.

The Tuesday explosion is not the first time the plant on Payne Street has had issues.

In April 2003, one person was killed at the plant after a catastrophic vessel failure, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

That building sure looks like it was a pretty bad explosion. I'd love to know what caused such a large explosion, but I suppose we'll find out eventually. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 408 research/teaching positions and 54 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 408 research/teaching positions and 54 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 November 14, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 440 research/teaching positions and 40 teaching positions.

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

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 107 research/teaching positions and 15 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 107 research/teaching positions and 15 teaching positions. 

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

C&EN: "The chemical enterprise braces for a second Trump presidency"

In this week's Chemical and Engineering News, this summary (article by Leigh Krietsch Boerner and Rowan Walrath)

With the dust settling after the US elections, chemists are trying to work out how a second Donald J. Trump presidency will affect their work and lives.

Scientists in many corners are concerned—about their funding, about the politicization of their research areas, and about their intellectual freedom. Jennifer Jones, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, says scientists in federal and state governments who work in politicized fields like climate change are worried that “their name is going on a list.”

“President Trump has promised to fire government scientists and to dismantle scientific agencies,” Jones says. “Without strong federal science, historically marginalized communities bear the brunt of policies that benefit corporate profit over people and communities.”

A scientist in the federal government, who spoke to C&EN on the condition of anonymity because they fear retribution, worries that some government scientists “might just choose to throw in the towel.” That would leave the federal government without the staff needed to assess data and enact evidence-based policies, the person says.

It will be fascinating to see if the BIOSECURE Act is passed, and if it is signed in the lame duck session. I would expect yes, but we shall see. 

Give your instruments to the museums?

Also in this week's C&EN, this letter to the editor: 

We read with much interest the article discussing options of what to do with old laboratory equipment and instruments (C&EN, June 17, 2024, page 16). The article describes an ad hoc approach to dealing with surplus equipment, which is not dissimilar to our experiences at other institutions.

The author points out that less attention tends to be paid to expensive instruments after they have been superseded, and she lists three options: “Sell, donate, or scrap.” We would like to propose a fourth option: consider archiving old documents and equipment. Science and medicine museums, such as the Wellcome Collection and Science Museum in London, are considered national treasures in the UK: 89% of adults surveyed earlier this year said museums are important to UK culture. Museums attract visitors. The Science Museum, for example, attracts nearly 3 million visitors per year and appeared in the top 10 visitor attractions in the UK in 2013 and 2023.

People experience and learn science in many different places and ways, not just at school, and science museums are informal learning experiences that help broaden people’s perception of science and medicine. They also have the potential to inspire a broader range of people and bring about more diversity in the field.d

Please consider archiving documents and equipment, and remember that a beaker or an ordinary piece of kit today might constitute a precious artifact tomorrow.

Sami A. Al-Ani and Ilaria Scaglia 

Birmingham, England

Uh, I think that the available old scientific instruments could easily overwhelm museums. But hey, you can ask! 

Have a good weekend

Well, this week hasn't gone exactly the way I'd like. I hope that your week was better? I am very much looking forward to the weekend. I hope you have a great one. See you on Monday! 

Thinking about a second Trump Administration

Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States. I’m not happy about that. 

But this is not a blog about my personal feelings about politics; it is a blog to help chemists find jobs, and to help understand how to measure the quality of the job market. 

We have a couple of months before he takes office. I plan to spend some time between now and then making predictions as to actual Trump Administration policy, and how it might impact the readers of this blog. 

Five topics I can think of immediately: 

• Immigration: What will immigration policy be under the second Trump Administration? 
• Tariffs: How will Trump’s threatened tariffs impact American chemists? 
• Regulation: How will the EPA and the FDA be impacted under their new leadership? 
• Academic science: How will US academic science be impacted, in terms of funding for NIH and other federal funding agencies? 
• Employment: How will this change the long-term trajectory of employment for American chemists? 

What topics do you suggest I tackle? Please respond in the comments with specific topics and NOT predictions. (Please avoid posting lengthy political opinions in this thread. If you must post your political opinion, I ask that each person limit themselves to the same number of words as me - 6 words.) E-mails welcome: chemjobber@gmail.com 

Job posting: forensic drug analyst, Ministry of Health, Government of Bermuda

Via C&EN, this position: 

The Government Analyst works under the direction of the Senior Government Analyst to provide Forensic Drug Chemistry and technical analysis to assist in crime detection and associated reporting and presentation of evidence in court.

Applicants must possess BSc in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry or a related science degree together with a wide knowledge in Forensic Science and three (3) years relevant experience in Forensic Science or related Laboratory Science is required. In lieu of the requisite years of experience, consideration will be taken into applicants whom possess a Post-graduate degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Forensic Science along with at least one (1) years relevant experience.

This post is offered on a three year contract. Qualified persons wishing to be considered for the post may apply online at www.govtcareers.gov.bm by the specified closing date of 27th November, 2024.

Salary:  PS28 $93,610.96 (=US$ Equivalent)

Curious what the standard of living is on Bermuda (probably quite pricey). Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 396 research/teaching positions and 45 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 396 research/teaching positions and 45 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 November 7, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 424 research/teaching positions and 40 teaching positions.

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

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 102 research/teaching positions and 14 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 102 research/teaching positions and 14 teaching positions. 

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

Harvard Crimson: Charles Lieber to visit Beijing for "employment networking"

Via the Harvard Crimson, this unusual news: 

A federal judge gave former Harvard Chemistry professor Charles M. Lieber permission to visit China for “employment networking” and give a lecture in Beijing — nearly three years after Lieber was convicted for lying to federal investigators about his relationship to China.

Lieber is currently serving a 18-month term of supervised release after completing six months of house arrest.

Lieber has been actively searching for employment in China since at least June, when he asked a judge if he could visit the University of Hong Kong the next month “to discuss potential faculty appointment and employment opportunities.”

In July, Lieber requested to attend the International Beijing Brain Conference in August to deliver a keynote speech and “discuss research and potential collaborations with local students.”

All three of Lieber’s requests were approved by U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper. The most recent request, which Casper signed off on last week, did not specify Lieber’s planned dates of travel.

In the requests, Lieber’s attorneys wrote that they had sought approval for Lieber’s travel from the Chinese consulate but had not heard back.

The Crimson could not determine whether Lieber has visited China yet, and neither Lieber nor his attorneys responded to requests for comment. In August, he told the South China Morning Post via email that he had “not yet visited Hong Kong, but may do so this fall.”

In some sense, this is reasonable, i.e. China pays significant money to be associated with prominent academics, and Charles Lieber is certainly very prominent. Also, I presume that he needs employment. However, it was his past associations with Chinese academia that got him into trouble, and in that sense, this move is rather surprising. I guess we'll see where Dr. Lieber ends up. 

C&EN on horseshoe crab blood testing

In the latest issue of C&EN, this fascinating feature by Laurel Oldach:

At a recent meeting of the Parenteral Drug Association, where industry microbiologists discussed ways to make drugs without a trace of unwanted biological material, photos of horseshoe crabs danced across a screen between sessions. The sediment-snuffling arthropod with a dozen legs and a shell like a helmet may seem like an unlikely pairing with the sleek, highly engineered robotics of a pharmaceutical production line. But estuaries teeming with life and clean rooms where it should be all but absent are linked by their dependence on this animal.

That is poised to change. In November, US regulators will formally announce their acceptance of alternatives to a key test that ensures drug products are not contaminated. The new tests will use proteins produced in bioreactors rather than in wild horseshoe crabs.

The change was hard fought. Arguments played out in the technical literature and in expert committee meetings. The stakes included hundreds of millions of dollars in annual sales for the company with the most to lose from a switch and the professional reputations of a group of industry insiders who were fired from their volunteer jobs. Now it appears that the tide may be turning on endotoxin tests made from horseshoe crab blood—but it hasn’t gone out just yet.

This piece is pretty long and detailed, but it is definitely worth it, as it explains the rather labyrinthine process of changing USP standards, and how it is its own bureaucratic battlefield. Read the whole thing. 

Have a great week

This has been kind of a wild week, but here I am, I guess, with a larger project due. At least I got a couple of decent meals out of it. Hope you had a great week, and have a great weekend. See you on Monday. 

Meet a candy scientist and their IP

Via the Wall Street Journal, this fun bit of intellectual property trivia: 

...Taste testers wanted more flavor and felt the chewing experience wasn’t gummy enough, so Ferrara made the product even tangier and tweaked the crunch-to-chew ratio. 

In the summer of 2020, the candy company and the inventor of Nerds Gummy Clusters, a Ferrara scientist named Sean Oomens, filed for a patent on a “dual-textured confectionery” with a “chewy center” and “crunchy coating.” 

The details in the application, which is pending, included an exact definition of gummy (“a springy, resilient character with varying degrees of firmness”) and a less exact shape of the cluster (“generally ovoid, spherical or bean-shaped”). 

...Ferrara’s experiments with Gummy Clusters did result in batches of soggy Nerds, according to a person familiar with the process. The patent on Gummy Clusters suggests that Ferrara’s candy scientists solved their problem with additives such as gum arabic, an additive that prevents moisture from the chewy center from seeping into the candy pebble’s coating...

I bet it's a lot of fun to be a candy scientist, but you probably have a serious salt tooth at the end of a work day... 

makes you wonder who the PHOSITA for candy science would be... 

Job posting: Head of R&D, Sironix Renewables, Seattle, WA

Via BlueSky, this position: 

About us: We’re a startup company with proven technology developing eco-friendly and bio-renewable surfactant chemicals for consumer products, such as laundry detergents and personal care products. Sironix has invented and developed a series of new surfactant molecules that will make our consumer products work better and benefit our environment. We have received over $7M in government investment and partnerships along with recent venture funding. We are searching for an applicant who can help us refine and scale our surfactant manufacturing process, overcome barriers to technology commercialization and achieve a more responsible future for the cleaning and personal care industry.

Summary: As Head of Research and Development at Sironix Renewables, you will be joining a company at the forefront of green chemistry, bio-renewables, and product development. You will be aiding the development and scale-up of surfactant production methods as we transition from pre-pilot toward commercial scale manufacturing. Responsibilities primarily involve coordinating with contract and chemical manufacturers to de-risk and scale manufacturing processes, designing and implementing experimental plans to meet customer product specifications, supporting R&D efforts as they relate to intellectual property and grants management, as well as performing equipment maintenance as required. 

They will lead a small team of full-time research scientists while managing relationships with contract engineers. Quality control, including use and maintenance of chromatography, spectroscopy and surfactant performance test instrumentation, will be an important focus to assure our product continues to meet our standards as scaling continues. Tasks require management of simultaneous research projects, effective communication with customers, collaborators, and other team members, as well as auxiliary technical tasks outside of typical lab work to help grow our business. As is the nature of research, creative problem solving is required in order to ensure consistent and confident data. The working conditions and fellow employees are relaxed, but we are motivated and determined to build a name for ourselves and change the way the world cleans!

Salary: A starting salary of $110,000 to $150,000 per year is expected.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, or related Engineering discipline with 2 years of relevant industry experience, or M.S. with 4 years of relevant industry experience, or B.S. with 6 years of relevant industry experience required
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience working independently to design and implement chemistry experiments in the laboratory, including demonstrated wet chemistry skills as well as analytical and problem-solving skills to interpret and refine results
• High mechanical aptitude and knowledge of mechanical concepts needed to maintain, troubleshoot and repair mechanical equipment and electrical device

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

C&EN: Chemistry undergraduate enrollment falling faster than all programs

Friend of the blog Leigh Krietsch Boerner has a great feature in Chemical and Engineering News tackling the problem of undergraduate enrollment in chemistry. The whole article is worth reading, but this analysis by Leigh is the most important: 

...According to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, enrollment at 4-year colleges in the US has dropped 3.2% since 2019. Enrollment in chemistry programs, meanwhile, has tumbled 23.2% over the same period.

In contrast, undergraduate enrollment in biology fell about the same amount as all undergraduate enrollment since 2019. And at a time when college enrollment is dropping and students are opting out of higher education, the number of biology degrees has actually increased since 2019. According to C&EN’s analysis, the number of undergraduate degrees awarded in biology has gone up 7.5% since 2019. During the same period, the number of bachelor’s degrees in all disciplines dropped by 2.6%, while chemistry degrees were down 14.1%.

As of the end of the 2023–24 academic year, only a few hundred more schools offered degrees in biology than in chemistry. And in the past 5 years, the number of programs in each discipline has fallen at about the same rate. But according to C&EN’s analysis, US higher education institutions awarded 132,465 biology degrees in 2023, compared with 12,567 chemistry degrees. And schools don’t seem to be ending their biology programs.

It seems reasonable to conclude this isn't going to do great things for chemistry as a field in the United States, nor chemistry employment (for chemists) nor for the number of non-R1 chemistry faculty positions. Here's hoping that we see a turnaround. Read the whole thing. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 378 research/teaching positions and 41 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 378 research/teaching positions and 41 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 October 31, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 415 research/teaching positions and 38 teaching positions.

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

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 95 research/teaching positions and 14 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 95 research/teaching positions and 14 teaching positions. 

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

C&EN: "Rigoberto Hernandez elected 2025 ACS president-elect"

Via C&EN (article by Sara Cottle), this ACS news:

Rigoberto Hernandez has been elected the 2025 American Chemical Society president-elect by ACS members. Hernandez will serve as society president in 2026 and immediate past president in 2027. These roles include serving on the board of directors from 2025 to 2027.

ACS members also elected four other people into ACS governance positions, including the first-ever International District director.

...In other election news, Katherine L. Lee, executive director and head of scientific planning and operations in the Inflammation and Immunology Research Unit at Pfizer, was re-elected District I director for 2025–27, defeating Matthew Grandbois, vice president of business development at AirJoule.

Silvia S. Jurisson, a professor of chemistry and radiology at the University of Missouri, was elected District V director for 2025–27, defeating two other candidates, Lisa M. Balbes, independent consultant at Balbes Consultants, and Mark C. Cesa, retired from Ineos Nitriles.

David Wu, director and research fellow at the Institute of Chemistry at Academia Sinica, was elected ACS’s first ever International District director for 2025–27, defeating Hooi-Ling Lee, an associate professor at the School of Chemical Sciences at Universiti Sains Malaysia. The petition creating this position was approved by the ACS Council and Board of Directors in August 2023 and ratified by the members in November 2023.

Natalie A. LaFranzo, vice president of strategy at the Linus Group, was re-elected director-at-large, defeating Sergio Nanita, a senior principal investigator at Incyte.

Best wishes to ACS President-elect Hernandez and the other new BoD members.

Have a great weekend

A short week always feels a bit like playing hooky. I hope that you had a great week and that you got what you needed to get done, done. Hope you have a great weekend, and see you on Monday. 

Harry Elston's book "Thrive Solo", reviewed

Credit: Harry Elston

Harry Elston is a long-time friend of the blog, and he's written a good book about being a solo
entrepreneur, titled "Thrive Solo." It's written about his experience becoming a full-time consultant in chemical safety. 

I read it pretty quickly, and as someone who has talked to a lot of aspiring and current entrepreneurs, it was both very informative and covered a lot of questions that I feel many potential entrepreneurs have. 

The section on "how to do your own accounting" was an important section for me that I haven't read very much about. In addition, his approach to "types of contracts" was illuminating for me as well. 

One aspect that I really liked about Harry's approach to the various sections was first reviewing the subject (taxes, corporate structure, etc) and then saying "this is how I do it, and why." It's good to both have the basic structure, and then the author's opinion on what worked best for him, and why. 

The book is well-written and short. I didn't see any particular weaknesses, but this is the moment in a book review where you're supposed to say something that needs improvement, so I'll say this: There are precious few personal experiences within "Thrive Solo". I've had enough breakfasts and phone calls with Harry to know that he can tell a good story, but that aspect of his personality doesn't really come out in this book. More Harry next time, please. 

It's also quite inexpensive (especially on Kindle.) If you're thinking about striking out on your own as a consultant, I would definitely recommend picking up a copy. It's a good investment for a first step to a potential new career. 

Job posting: analytical chemist, Nestlé Purina Analytical Laboratories, St. Louis, MO

Via Indeed, this position: 

Quality Assurance and Nestlé Purina Analytical Laboratories department is comprised of talented individuals who possess a genuine love for pets and their families. We thrive on being at the forefront of research, contributing to the innovation and advancements in pet nutrition and quality that sets Nestlé Purina apart. Ensuring the delivery of safe ingredients and sustainable practices to our factories and beyond, we are invigorated by the extensive research and development that goes into our products. Bring your impact to the table and together we will continue to work towards being one of the most trusted companies in pet care.  

As an Analytical Chemist, you will execute and interpret complex procedures and protocols within a project or goal. You’ll be a great fit if you are a self-starter who takes initiative and works independently while collaborating within Nestlé Purina Analytical Laboratories (NPAL). You’ll be expected to learn method development, make process improvements, and help draft standard operating procedures (SOP’s) in addition to mentoring other team members.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or a related field
• 3+ years of analytical lab or industry experience, analytical instrumentation experience, and troubleshooting of assay and equipment issues
• 2+ years of experience with chromatography and/or mass spectrometry (HPLC, GC, GCMS, LCMS, etc.)

The approximate pay range for this position is $59,000.00 to $85,000.00.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.

Can there only be one Kate the Chemist?

In a recent issue of Chemical and Engineering News, this very enjoyable profile of Dr. Kate Biberdorf, popularly known as Kate the Chemist (article by Dalmeet Singh Chawla): 

...That hustle has paid off for Biberdorf. After 16 years studying and working in Texas, she recently moved to the University of Notre Dame to become the institution’s first-ever professor for the public understanding of science.

The role will be significantly different from what Biberdorf did at UT Austin, where her whole job was to teach chemistry. Alongside that day job, every week she would visit up to four schools, engaging with more than 20,000 students a year. “My best year was 29,000 students, and that was a really good year, but I was very tired,” she says. “When I’m breathing fire, and I often do it in Louboutin heels, people just take notice.”

It sounds like it's reasonably lucrative for her: 

...In 2020, she handed over the unpaid school outreach work to someone else at the university. Now Biberdorf has two literary agents, a social media agent, a podcast agent, and a sponsor agent. She is a client of the United Talent Agency, which represents artists, athletes, entertainers, and more. Twenty percent of all the fees she earns for any show usually go to the agency, and 10% to Schwartz, who is still her manager.

Biberdorf declines to share any monetary figures, citing confidentiality agreements, but says her Kate the Chemist gig makes “so much more money” than her professor role at UT Austin did. “It’s an extreme amount of money you can make with these sponsorships.”

It also sounds like she will be doing a fair bit of work for the University of Notre Dame, her new employer: 

...She has officially moved to Notre Dame, where she says her role will be a more natural fit with her science entertainer work. It will be business as usual under the Kate the Chemist brand. But with more freedom from her institution and no chemistry classes to teach, she says she can focus on her science communication work and ultimately bring more attention to the scientific research taking place at Notre Dame. “It’s a win-win,” she says.

“They’re building me an entire studio,” she says. It’s a camera-friendly laboratory, a makerspace, and it’s going to be open on Feb. 1, Biberdorf notes. “Notre Dame is invested in this.”

In her new position, Biberdorf hopes to launch the university’s first major in science communication, with the aim of creating an “army of science communicators.” For now, she will start off with a science communication minor.

I have long been skeptical of the labor economics of science communication, especially as a stand-alone career. I've thought about this for years, especially since I know that so many people would like to do 'science communication'* as a job, and I have watched what seems like hundreds (but is probably more like 10 or 20 professional freelance science communicators) struggle over the years as I've watched on the sidelines on social media since 2010 or so. 

I can't help but note that my skepticism has long been rooted in Derek Lowe's skepticism about his prospects as a professional science communicator. I can't find the quote but (like so many quotes from Derek), it's eminently memorable - if living solely on the checks from his writing, he and his family would soon be reduced to eating the grass in his backyard. Derek's a much, much better writer than I, so what chance do I have, or anyone else for that matter? I have a family to support, so I'm not a writer, I work for a living in chemical manufacturing.**

But this isn't really about me and my inadequacies - it's actually about the core of this blog's mission over the years, which is to attempt to quantify the quality of job markets. The latest Occupational Outlook Handbook (updated in August 2024) indicates that there are something like 87,000 chemists, and their median pay is ~$85,000 a year. While we can debate whether this is a good salary or a bad one, I think you can argue that you can live on your own (probably not very well, depending on where you live) and with luck, finding an appropriate spouse or a partner with a similar annual salary would be a great way to extend your dollar and increase your standard of living to something approaching the great American dream of affluence.

I'm not so sure about professional science communicators of any sort. As I've said before, professional science communication (especially the kind that makes money) seems to be mostly part of the entertainment industry, and entertainment seems to be a labor tournament market, where there are many entrants, but one true winner (and just a few people who make a median income competing.) Kate is winning that tournament (and seems to have won another one, in her (I presume) tenured position at Notre Dame.) That is great for her, but this is not a reproducible path. I genuinely do not understand what a long-term, high-quality employment market for science communicators looks like. I posit that I've never seen one, and more's the pity. 

*What the hell is 'science communication' anyway? I know it when I see it, as do you. 

**I note that I am STILL very proud to be a member of NAICS 325. 

***One more CJ-esque note: I cannot help but note Dr. Biberdorf is moving from a classically large public university to a private university. This too is the correct move in Our Modern Times.

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 368 research/teaching positions and 38 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 368 research/teaching positions and 38 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 October 31, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 415 research/teaching positions and 38 teaching positions.

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

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 85 research/teaching positions and 14 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 77 research/teaching positions and 14 teaching positions. 

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

C&EN: "SQM to supply SK with iodine for refrigerants"

Via C&EN, this news (article by Craig Bettenhausen: 

The Chilean mining company SQM will provide the iodine needed for next-generation refrigerants that the specialty chemical maker SK Enmove, a subsidiary of SK Innovation, is developing. SK says that in addition to carrying a lower global warming impact than fluorine-based options, the iodine refrigerants work better in the heating cycle, making them more useful in electric vehicles that cannot depend on waste heat for cabin heating. SK is working with Hyundai to commercialize heat pump systems based on the new refrigerants.

Who knew that PTA production requires cobalt? (This paper (PDF) did, but I didn't (it's part of an oxidant, apparently.) 

It would be interesting to know how much cobalt would be required for a single Coke bottle's worth of PTA/PET as opposed to a cell phone's need. 

Have a good weekend

Well, it's good to be back in the office this week. I got a last-minute reprieve on a project, which was awfully nice. I hope that you had a good week, and that you have a great weekend. See you on Monday! 

Job posting: Product Development Specialist, 3M, St. Paul, MN/hybrid

Via C&EN Jobs: 

As a Product Development Specialist for IATD’s adhesive products in consumer electronics, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative and diverse people around the world. Here, you will make an impact by:

Leading cutting edge high-strength adhesive technology development with direct customer applications for key consumer electronics products  

Supporting winning business in a fast-paced environment through evaluation and optimization of material characterization techniques to ensure high accuracy and alignment with our customers innovative designs and functional requirements

Bringing in versatile material and technology knowledge, and maintaining external engagement and expertise to enable disruptive new adhesives properties

Your Skills and Expertise 

• To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:
• Master’s degree or higher in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Science, Polymer Engineering, Materials Science
• Three (3) years of combined experience in adhesives or composites in a private, public, government, educational or military environment.

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Science, Polymer Engineering, Materials Science
• Experience in one or more of the following: material modeling, mechanical testing of materials, organic molecule synthesis (from small molecule to polymers), scale up processes
• Experience with consumer electronics materials requirements
• Five (5) year of combined experience in adhesives or composites in a private, public, government, educational or military environment

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Hydrogen sulfide leak at PEMEX facility kills two last Thursday

Via CNN, this sad news from last week: 

A chemical leak at a PEMEX oil refinery in Deer Park, Texas, on Thursday killed two workers and injured several others, prompting temporary shelter-in-place orders for residents across the city, officials said.

The leak happened around 4:20 p.m., sending hydrogen sulfide – a colorless and potentially toxic gas – seeping into the air at the plant, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Two bodies have been found at the scene and at least 35 others were “triaged,” the sheriff said at a Thursday night news conference. It is unclear how many were treated on-site or brought to a medical facility.

PEMEX, a Mexico-based oil company, said in a statement in Spanish that operations were halted once the leak was detected and local authorities were notified.

Shelter-in-place orders were issued for the city of Deer Park, as well as some residents of neighboring Pasadena, as emergency officials told residents to stay indoors, close all windows and doors, and turn off their air-conditioners. The orders have since been lifted after air monitoring determined no hazardous chemicals had permeated the surrounding community, city officials said.

“We’ve not gotten any air monitoring reports to show that anything has gotten into the community that would be a concern to any constituents in Deer Park,” Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton said, noting air monitoring will be ongoing.

Hydrogen sulfide, commonly used in oil and gas refining, has a pungent “rotten egg” smell that may linger in the air, Mouton said.

I wasn't aware that hydrogen sulfide was used in oil and gas refining. CSB is deploying, so I imagine that we will come to understand more (I hope.) 

Retraction Watch: "Retractions begin for chemist found to have faked data in 42 papers"

Via Retraction Watch, this news: 

A nanotube researcher in Japan has earned 13 retractions, with more to come, after an extensive investigation by the country’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) revealed widespread misconduct in his work. 

AIST’s investigation found Naohiro Kameta, senior principal researcher at the Nanomaterials Research Institute located in AIST’s Ibaraki campus, fabricated and falsified dozens of studies. He was apparently dismissed from his role following the findings. 

The institute first learned of the problems in Kameta’s work in November 2022, according to a translated version of the investigation report. Initially, they looked into five papers, but eventually expanded their scrutiny to 61 articles on which Kameta was the lead or responsible author...

It would be really interesting to understand how the retraction and official governmental sanctions process works for serious scientific misconduct. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 349 research/teaching positions and 33 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 349 research/teaching positions and 33 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 October 17, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 384 research/teaching positions and 34 teaching positions.

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

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 77 research/teaching positions and 14 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 77 research/teaching positions and 14 teaching positions. 

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

C&EN on methanol adulteration in drinking alcohol

In last week's C&EN, this fascinating article (article by Puja Changoiwala):

Starting on a Wednesday morning in June, 225 people were admitted to four hospitals in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Their symptoms included vomiting, stomachache, headache, diarrhea, and eye irritation.

To support the medical staff, the government brought in extra doctors from nearby medical schools. Yet 65 of the 225 patients did not survive. Their cause of death was the same—they had all consumed methanol-laced illicit liquor, purchased from local bootleggers.

“The victims included men and women; essentially, the poor. Most of them worked as manual or agricultural laborers, and they consumed the spurious liquor because it’s cheap,” says M. S. Prasanth, the top government official in the district of Kallakurichi, where the incident occurred. “It’s a problem controlling methanol. A detailed inquiry has been ordered by the Tamil Nadu government to probe the tragedy.”

It is remarkable to me how important the correct setting of public policy (such as tax policy)  is to prevent bad outcomes like methanol poisoning.* 

*Cases like this seem to indicate that societal norms such as 'don't adulterate potable items with poisons' come with sufficient societal wealth. What a grim comment on humanity.

C&EN: "SK Pharmteco to set up a new peptide plant"

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

SK Pharmteco, a contract development and manufacturing organization, plans to invest $260 million in a peptide and small-molecule drug production plant in Sejong, South Korea. The 12,600 m² facility will be the company’s fifth plant in that country. SK Pharmteco says the plant will be operational in late 2026 and add 300 employees to its workforce. The high global demand for peptides is fueled in part by the popularity of glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs, such as those developed by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Company.

It's kind of wild to me how many new peptide facilities are being set up - terribly curious to know if they will all be running in a year or five.  

Have a great weekend

Some weeks cannot be busier. I hope you had a more peaceful week than me, but I'm fine. Hope you have a great weekend. See you on Monday! 

C&EN: "Some tattoo inks in Europe contain banned pigments"

This news via C&EN's Krystal Vasquez: 

A new study that analyzed 10 inks commonly used in Europe found that 9 of them were out of compliance with the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation (Analyst 2024, DOI: 10.1039/D4AN00793J).

Nine tattoo inks were found to be noncompliant with the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals regulation.

Under REACH, makers of tattoo inks and permanent makeup are required to list the products’ ingredients and reduce or eliminate compounds that could pose a risk to human or environmental health. For example, REACH recently banned two pigments common in blue and green inks, pigment green 7 and pigment blue 15:3, that the EU had also previously banned in hair color.

Of the nine noncompliant inks, the researchers determined that five had minor discrepancies; these inks did not contain any banned pigments, but their labels didn’t list all their ingredients. But four inks contained the banned pigment green 7, and two contained a variant of pigment blue 15. The researchers were unable to conclusively determine using their main method of analysis, Raman spectroscopy, whether the variant was the banned pigment blue 15:3.

Pretty interesting analysis - read the whole thing. 

I guess I don't really understand why there is an expectation (even in Europe) that tattoo inks would follow EU chemical regulations. (Who enforces REACH in EU countries, anyway?) Do people looking for tattoos ask about this? Is there a German Tattoo Safety Agency? 

Job posting: Senior Scientist - Data Science, Analytical Research and Development (Onsite), Merck, Rahway, NJ

Via Twitter, this position at Merck: 

The Analytical Research and Development organization in Rahway, NJ is seeking a motivated Senior Scientist with technical expertise in data science and an ability to apply digital solutions to support our Company's pipeline of small molecule drugs, peptides, biologics, and vaccines. This role will allow the candidate to solve complex scientific challenges through application of data modeling, analysis, and visualization tools. 

The successful candidate is expected to collaboratively work with synthetic, computational, and analytical scientists, understand their problem statements, and collaboratively implement and apply data science solutions. The candidate must be able to work proactively and independently and influence decisions and solutions spanning a wide diversity of problem statements across our Company Research Laboratories. The role will require the candidate to network across a range of departments and effectively collaborate with stakeholders. The candidate should exemplify positive ways of working which support diversity, inclusion, and a positive culture. The chosen candidate should have a demonstrated ability to publish and present research, including an established track record of interaction with the broader scientific community.

 Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 313 research/teaching positions and 26 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 313 research/teaching positions and 26 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 October 3, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 329 research/teaching positions and 24 teaching positions.

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

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 57 research/teaching positions and 11 teaching positions

 The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 57 research/teaching positions and 11 teaching positions. 

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

Sprinkler head causes major chemical release at BioLab trichloroisocyanuric acid facility in Conyers, GA

Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Via the Atlanta Journal Constitution: 

A fire reignited Sunday at a chemical facility in Conyers, officials said, forcing the evacuations of local residents and leading to several road closures, including I-20.

Officials said the blaze reignited after being contained Sunday morning at BioLab on Old Covington Highway, the third such incident at the plant over the past seven years. Photos showed a massive plume of smoke in the sky that was visible from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport — about 30 miles away.

The fire started about 5 a.m. after a sprinkler head malfunctioned and mixed with a water-reactive chemical and wiring at the plant, Rockdale County fire Chief Marian McDaniel said during a press conference Sunday. She said they were working on removing the material away from the water source at the facility and that the fire was contained to the roof. There were employees inside the plant but no injuries have been reported at this time.

“Once we can get that chemical out of the building and allow it to burn off we’ll be in a much better shape,” McDaniel said.

...Over her seven years with the fire department, McDaniel said it was the third such incident of “this magnitude,” in which a product mixed with water and started a chemical reaction at the plant. She said the most recent incident likely happened in 2021. The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) said it issued a shelter in place order on behalf of Rockdale’s emergency management agency, but no timetable has been provided as to when the area will be safe.

I am rather chagrined to note that I was very aware of the BioLab facility in Lake Charles having a release in 2020, but not aware that the Conyers facility had two such releases in 2020 as well. (The CSB writeup of the Conyers releases starts on page 72, and seems to also involve inadvertent water exposure.) 

I am sure that the core problem is that "keep this stuff away from water" is harder than it seems, but I don't know, stopping major PR snafus and millions of dollars worth of preventable damage would seem to me to be important as well. I guess we'll have to read the new CSB report when it comes out. 

C&EN: "The unfulfilled dream of drug reshoring"

In this week's C&EN, a very worthwhile article by Aayushi Pratap:

...In response, the federal government began funding start-ups and groups like the API Innovation Center in an effort to increase domestic production of small-molecule APIs and finished medicines. But industry watchers say the private sector generally isn’t following the government’s lead. While drug companies and contract manufacturers are putting huge sums into US plants for newer treatment modalities such as biologics, peptides, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), traditional small-molecule APIs are getting little investment.

Hui-Yin “Harry” Li, president of Wilmington PharmaTech, a Delaware-based API maker, says some biotechnology and large pharmaceutical firms are attempting to move the drug ingredients they need back to the US, though not many have been successful. “This is largely due to the limited domestic manufacturing capacity,” he says. His company, which already had three facilities in Newark, Delaware, added a pilot plant in 2020 to manufacture highly potent APIs and ADCs. But building such plants in the US remains costly and time consuming, according to Li...

Lots of good quotes within. Read the whole thing! 

Have a good weekend

Always an exciting week, especially a little before travel. Hope you had a good week, and a great weekend. See you on Monday. 

Janitor death, chemical spill, science building shutdown alarms New Mexico Highlands University

Via a Google News search on chemicals, this sad news from the Las Vegas Optic: 

Concerns about chemicals inside a New Mexico Highlands University science building have heightened following news of the death of a custodian who worked at the facility.

Kathy Jenkins, president of the NMHU Faculty Association and professor of exercise physiology at the university, said in an interview with The Optic on Sept. 21 that the custodian, Martin Lujan, worked at Ivan Hilton Science and Technology Building. 

Ivan Hilton was closed by the city of Las Vegas on Sept. 3 after campus police responded to an initial report of a chemical spill at the building. According to a press release provided by the university on Tuesday, Ivan Hilton was closed on Sept. 3 “as a result of issues with the storage and maintenance of chemicals … and it currently remains closed.”

Lujan passed away on Sept. 14.

Sounds like the chemicals initially involved may have included some biology fixatives (Carosafe, which is mostly propylene glycol and other organic compounds.)  

...Assistant Professor Michael Remke, who teaches courses in forestry and natural resources, said he became ill after working at Ivan Hilton.

“I was going home sick with headaches, with respiratory distress and irritation after smelling fumes while sitting and working in my office,” Remke said on Sept. 19. He said that on Aug. 12 he made a complaint with human resources, filed a formal worker’s compensation claim and filed a claim with the school’s Environmental Health and Safety Office about the symptoms he was having.

Remke said his complaints were not addressed directly; however, a cold room at Ivan Hilton was taped off. 

This cold room – a type of walk-in refrigerator on Ivan Hilton’s first floor – was being used to store chemicals, Remke said. He said it is not typical to store chemicals in a cold room and that such a space is more often used to store specimens and samples.

“I’m suspicious that … some of those chemicals were leaking, they were fuming, and the result was, as the cold room broke and heated up the fumes got really bad,” he said. “The fumes were seeping out of that environment (and) into the hallway on the first floor where they were impacting me in my office.”

Jenkins said she has received a list of chemicals that were found at Ivan Hilton. In an email to officials with AFT New Mexico, a union representing educators, as well as officials with National Education Association New Mexico, Jenkins said some of these chemicals include nitrobenzene, picric acid, radioactive thorium, cyanide and uncontained mercury.

I'm curious which chemicals were in the cold room. It sounds like Ivan Hilton had some chemical storage issues (which is probably true of 30% of American university science buildings.) My condolences to the family of Mr. Lujan. 

Job posting: Sr. Scientist - Chemistry Programs, Thermacell Repellents, Gainesville, FL

Via C&EN Jobs: 

THE COMPANY: Thermacell Repellents, Inc. (TRI) is a privately held company with a mission to liberate people who love the outdoors from the harmful effects of insects. Founded in 1999 and based outside of Boston in Bedford, Massachusetts, Thermacell makes the world’s leading spatial mosquito repellent and targeted tick control solutions.  Dedicated to delivering the best consumer experience, we have an ever-expanding product line for both adventure and home use.  We aim to change the way people repel insects, and through disruptive innovation, strong distribution across multiple retail channels, and a global footprint, our base of users is growing rapidly.   

TRI currently employs 125+ full time employees at our 4 locations: Bedford Massachusetts (Corporate HQ), Buford Georgia (Manufacturing & Distribution), Hampton FL (Science & Research Center).

POSITION PURPOSE: Thermacell is seeking a highly motivated Sr. Scientist – Chemistry Programs as part of the Science and Research team to lead all aspects of formula development, regulatory and other analytical chemistry testing, and provide technical expertise to other organizational areas. This new position will work at the Thermacell testing facility in Hampton, Florida under the daily supervision of and reporting to the Science Manager.

SKILLS REQUIRED: 

• Doctor of Philosophy degree in chemistry preferred.
• Minimum 5-years of successful formulation and/or analytical chemistry experience - experience in pesticide/bioactive product formulation preferred.
• Proven ability to develop laboratory procedures and protocols compliant with global regulatory standards; Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) experience is preferred.
• Familiarity and proficiency with standard chemistry and laboratory equipment (e.g. GC/MS, analytical scales, etc.).
• Proven ability to plan, organize, problem solve, coordinate, and complete multiple tasks.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

There's a glut of old cocoa beans out there

 Via the Financial Times, this important news: 

A frantic hunt by chocolate manufacturers for high-grade cocoa has left a backlog of old, poor-quality beans lying in London’s warehouses, leading to a rare divergence in prices between the UK and the US.

Last month cocoa futures traded in New York rose strongly, peaking above $10,000 last week, while London prices fell, dipping below $6,400 earlier this month. Despite a sell-off in recent days, US prices are down just 3 per cent since the start of last month, compared with a 16 per cent drop for the UK contract.

Cocoa prices on both markets rallied strongly earlier this year, as poor weather and disease decimated crops in Ghana and Ivory Coast, where two-thirds of the world’s cocoa beans are grown, and as hedge funds piled into the market.

But the global shortage has led to a race among cocoa bean processors to secure high-quality beans, while shunning older varieties. Stocks of harvested beans are emptying, with US inventories at 15-year low and warehouses in London the lowest since 2021.

What is left in London is a “poisoned pill”, said Martijn Bron, who was global head of cocoa and chocolate trading for agricultural commodities giant Cargill until 2022.

The UK capital has historically been the market for large-scale purchasers of cocoa. But at the end of August more than one-quarter of the 54,650 metric tonnes of cocoa beans held in the London ICE exchange warehouses was more than three years old, according to exchange data. Moreover, almost 80 per cent of this older stock is bulk-stored beans grown in Cameroon, which is widely viewed in the industry as lower quality for making chocolate.

Never fear, chocolate manufacturers have solutions!: 

...Bigger companies may add a small amount of cheaper Cameroonian cocoa — which, with a better colour than taste, is normally used to make powders rather than chocolate — into a blend, but they are constrained by their own protocols on quality, said Thornton. Smaller or private companies, on the other hand, “have more flexibility to cut costs”, she said.

“This will change the taste, but to be honest, with milk chocolate, by the time you add the sugar and milk, you can almost get away with anything,” said Thornton.

It would be really interesting to understand who buys the lowest quality cocoa beans for their chocolate.

You can buy hydrofluorocarbons on Facebook Marketplace?

Via Bloomberg: 

The Biden administration has launched a new initiative to crack down on smugglers at US borders and ports. The concern isn’t drugs or counterfeit goods, though; it’s a refrigerant that’s also a dangerous greenhouse gas.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other agencies are arming themselves with new weapons — like AI tools that can pick out suspicious shipments — and rethinking ways of teaming up to combat the threat.

...The Biden administration made its first arrest under the law in March, charging a man in San Diego with smuggling HFCs allegedly bought in Mexico into the US. The indictment said Michael Hart concealed the refrigerants under a tarp and tools, then sold them on sites like Facebook Marketplace. The EPA has completed nine civil settlements linked to HFC importation in fiscal 2024, according to the agency.

Sounds like HFCs can fall off the back of a truck sometimes.

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 288 research/teaching positions and 22 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 288 research/teaching positions and 22 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 September 26, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 305 research/teaching positions and 20 teaching positions.

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

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 47 research/teaching positions and 11 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 47 research/teaching positions and 11 teaching positions. 

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

BioCentury: Senate version of the BIOSECURE Act did not get added to NDAA

Via BioCentury's Steve Usdin, this update: 

Despite a setback from the Senate Armed Services Committee, which declined to add the Biosecure Act to the bipartisan consensus draft of a must-pass defense bill, the legislation could still reach President Joe Biden’s desk this year. 

Shares of contract development, research and manufacturing companies that would be directly affected by proposed restrictions on U.S. government contracting with Chinese biotech companies jumped Friday on the news that the Biosecure Act wasn’t included in a package of 93 amendments to the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

I can't read the whole article (nor is this move corroborated anywhere), but Usdin is well known, so this is likely true. I expected this bill to slow once it hit the Senate, so this tracks. 

C&EN: "Dow lowers expectations for the 3rd quarter"

In this week's C&EN (article by Alex Tullo): 

Unexpected factors have forced Dow to lower its guidance for third-quarter performance. The company expects sales of $10.6 billion for the period, down from the $11.1 billion it forecast in July. Dow also predicts that earnings before taxes will be $1.3 billion. The company says it suffered an unplanned outage at one of its ethylene crackers in Texas in late July and has been hit by higher input costs in Europe, which are pinching profit margins. But Dow is getting a lift from higher selling prices and lower feedstock costs in North America.

It would be interesting to understand (maybe from the annual report) exactly how much of that $500 million adjustment could be attributed to the cracker being down - guessing the pressure to get it back up must be pretty high...  

Have a good weekend

One of those weeks where it's mostly good news, I think. (We'll see.) Getting things done finally, and back into the groove (I hope.) Hope you had a good week, and that you'll have a great weekend. See you on Monday.