SCMP: "Chinese police crack real-life ‘Breaking Bad’ drug lab, arresting ex-chemistry professor"

Via the South China Morning Post, this unusual story: 

Police in eastern China recently dismantled a cross-border drug-trafficking gang that allegedly involved a retired chemistry professor and a master’s degree holder in producing narcotics.

The case went viral in China, where social media users dubbed it “China’s Breaking Bad,” after the American crime drama that aired from 2008 to 2013.

...During a routine inspection of a pharmaceutical technology company in 2024, police in Shandong province noticed that it had bought unusually large quantities of six chemicals used as key ingredients in etomidate.

Etomidate is a narcotic drug that has often been misused in e-cigarettes known as “zombie vapes.” Long-term use of high doses can be fatal. China placed the substance under control in 2023.

Police discovered that a man surnamed Huang was behind the purchases. He had a master’s degree in chemistry and had spent years selling e-cigarettes in Shenzhen. He worked at the pharmaceutical company for just three months before quitting.

Police suspected that Huang had bought the ingredients to produce etomidate. Their investigation found that he travelled frequently between Zibo, in Shandong, and Shenzhen, and spent several days at a time with Wu, a retired chemistry professor from a local college.

Investigators later revealed that Wu was the key figure in the production of etomidate. He had designed and refined the manufacturing process and used his connections to secure laboratory space in factories across five Chinese cities, ostensibly to develop new medicines.

According to Shandong police, the pair took care to produce only etomidate’s precursor chemicals in China, then transport them to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia for conversion into the finished product, in an effort to avoid legal risks.

Drug precursors (both legal and illegal) are likely quite common and easy to obtain in China. I imagine there are quite a number of cases of this - it'd be interesting to understand who was doing the inspecting, local police or authorities from the central government? 

Job posting: two positions, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT

From the inbox, these two positions:

Visiting Assistant Laboratory Professor - Spring 2027 (Organic Chemistry)

The Department of Chemistry invites applications for a one-semester, full-time, position for Spring 2027. Applicants should have a Ph.D. / M.S. (preferred) or a B.A. / B.S. (with experience) in Chemistry or a closely related field. A demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching organic chemistry laboratory is expected. Responsibilities of the position include the preparation, teaching, and grading of three sections of Organic Chemistry I lab and one section of Organic Chemistry II lab in collaboration with a current organic lab professor teaching other sections of the established CHEM 0205/0305 lab curriculum.

Visiting Assistant Laboratory Professor (General Chemistry)

The Department of Chemistry invites applications for a two-year, full-time position starting in Spring 2027 and extending through Spring 2029. Applicants should have a Ph.D. (preferred) or M.S. in chemistry. Experience teaching chemistry laboratory is expected. Responsibilities of the position include the preparation, teaching and grading of four sections of General Chemistry laboratory per semester in collaboration with current lab professors teaching other sections of the established CHEM 0105 lab curriculum.

Full ads here and here. Best wishes to those interested. 

NYT on Indian generics manufacturing

Via the New York Times, this interesting article:

...India’s advantage is not just expertise. Peter DeYoung, the American-born chief executive of Piramal Global Pharma in Mumbai, runs more than a dozen factories, including in Europe and the United States. In America, he said, labor is the highest cost “by a wide margin,” followed by energy and materials. In India, it’s the reverse: Materials are the greatest cost and workers the least.

Mennisha Paka, 23, supervises a line at the F.T.O. U-3 factory for Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, packaging generic metoprolol, a beta blocker prescribed to heart patients. She earns $3,840 a year and uses part of her salary to pursue a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical chemistry. One of her subordinates, Susmita, who goes by one name, earns about $2,000 a year.

I recommend reading the whole thing if you would like to understand what Indian generics manufacturers see as their advantage. I think it is particularly interesting that they view the relative lack of API manufacturing in India (compared to China) as their vulnerability, and that Indian construction is faster than the United States (not a particular surprise.) 

I have consistently imagined that 500-600% tariffs are needed in order to level the playing field, and those are economically not viable (especially now!) It's taken probably over a century for pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing to leave the United States, and it will not return overnight. 

Younan Xia on his career path

Via C&EN's Prachi Patel, this article:  

I like to say I’m an accidental chemist.

It wasn’t possible to control your own destiny when I was in high school 45 years ago. In the China I grew up in, your future was decided by where you were born, by your elders, and by the government.

I didn’t choose to study chemistry. I didn't even choose where I went to college. But when you are forced into something, you can either complain and give up, or do your best with what you are given and create your own destiny. I chose the latter. It was a long road, but I developed a love for this foundational science, and with hard work and patience found my dream job and a happy life.

I feel lucky. I’m really grateful to all the people who helped me become who I am. At every point, there were people who helped me. You can work hard, but you need support and help from others to succeed.

I really enjoyed reading about his background and how his teachers drove his path. Strong recommend. 

中国朋友们！

如果你是中国人并且您使用Chemistry Faculty Jobs List,请给我发邮件 (chemjobber@gmail.com)。谢谢你！

Have a good weekend

This has been such a weird, hard, chill week. I hope that you had a good week, and I hope that you have a good weekend. I'll see you (maybe! maybe!) on Monday (gonna try hard!) 

The Moscow Times: "7 Reported Killed in Explosion at Ammunition Plant Near Moscow"

The Moscow Times/social media

Via the Moscow Times (and a Google Alert for "chemical plant explosion"): 

Seven people were killed in an explosion at a chemical plant in Russia’s Moscow region, the Telegram news channel Shot reported, as emergency crews responded to a fire at the facility.

The blast hit the Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant, which produces ammunition and pyrotechnics, according to publicly available information. Authorities had not commented on the incident, and the reported death toll remained unconfirmed.

Shot reported that the seven people were inside workshop No. 4, which collapsed completely. Survivors said more workers had been inside, the channel reported, adding that rescue operations were continuing.

I imagine this was an accidental explosion, but these days, with Ukraine's abilities to penetrate Russia, you never really know...  

Home chemist flies to Yemen, gets arrested

Via the Department of Justice: 

Department of Energy Employee Arrested in Washington State on Charges of Attempted Material Support to Houthis

...According to court records, Ellaboudy, who was a Department of Energy employee, came to the attention of the FBI after they received information that he had purchased precursor chemicals, components, and other materials commonly used in the construction of homemade explosive devices. In addition to the precursor chemicals, the investigation revealed Ellaboudy had also purchased parts used for the construction of drones and remotely operated aerial systems. 

The complaint alleges that in December 2024, the FBI learned that Ellaboudy took sick leave from his employment, claiming that it was due to having been exposed to highly concentrated nitric acid, a common chemical used in the construction of explosive materials. In September 2025, Ellaboudy, using an official passport previously issued to him when employed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, traveled from Richland, Washington to Oman. Upon arriving in Oman, Ellaboudy used this same passport to cross the border into Yemen with the intent on traveling to Sanaa, Yemen, the country’s capital, which is under the control of the Houthis. Upon returning to the United States, Ellaboudy stated to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers that he had travelled overseas on official government business. Subsequent information from Ellaboudy’s DOE supervisor revealed he did not have any authorized official government travel to that region. 

Well, that's not a great example of home chemistry. 

Job posting: Associate Director, Technical Operations (Small Molecule CMC), Travere Therapeutics

Via Indeed: 

The Associate Director, Technical Operations (Small Molecule CMC) will provide technical oversight for small molecule API development and manufacturing activities conducted at Travere CDMOs. This role is a critical contributor within Technical Operations (CMC) and broadly supports the product development, clinical manufacturing, commercial launch planning, logistics, and lifecycle management of small molecule drug products.

This individual will partner closely with Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical, and Supply Chain to ensure alignment, risk management, and successful achievement of program milestones. The successful candidate will bring substantial experience in small molecule API development and manufacturing, appropriate for advancing a late-stage development asset to commercial readiness.

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical oversight of API production, scale up, process characterization, and process performance qualification (PPQ) for a small molecule, solid oral drug product manufactured at Travere CDMOs.
• Review and approve manufacturing-related documentation, including change notifications, batch records, process development, tech transfer, process characterization, and validation protocols/reports. 

Education/Experience Requirements:  

• B.S. degree in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical science, chemical engineering, or related Life Sciences discipline required. M.S. or Ph.D degree preferred. Equivalent combination of education and applicable job experience may be considered.
• 8+ years of relevant experience required with emphasis on late-phase clinical development, scale-up, and commercialization.  

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Song Lin receives 2026 MacArthur Fellowship

Via a Stanford press release: 

Song Lin, a professor of chemistry in the School of Humanities and Sciences, has been awarded a 2026 MacArthur Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The fellowship recognizes Lin for his frontier research developing electrochemical methods for building large, complex organic molecules. Conventionally, electrochemistry—which employs electricity to drive chemical reactions—is used for applications such as energy storage in batteries and various industrial processes. Lin’s research seeks to bridge electrochemistry and the life sciences, ultimately offering more efficient, sustainable ways to synthetically create drugs.

Congratulations to Professor Lin - this is pretty cool. 

C&EN: "Former Asahi Kasei employee arrested in Japan"

Via C&EN, this news (by Alex Tullo): 

Police in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, have arrested a former Asahi Kasei employee for stealing confidential information and passing it to a Chinese company. The information was related to an Asahi latent curing agent, used to harden epoxy resins, and was given to Shandong Shengquan New Materials, Asahi says. The company promises to start civil proceedings against the former employee and Shandong Shengquan, demanding that the firm destroy and restrain from using the confidential information. Asahi also plans to implement greater controls over its trade secrets.

Well, at least it's not American companies losing their trade secrets. 

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 204 research/teaching positions and 18 teaching positions

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 204 research/teaching positions and 18 teaching positions.

Want to help out? Here's a Google Form to enter positions.

On October 7, 2025, the 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 211 research/teaching positions and 22 teaching positions. On October 1, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 313 research/teaching positions and 26 teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here is 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: 55 research/teaching positions and 4 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Todd N. Whittaker) has 55 research/teaching positions and 4 teaching positions. 

Want to chat? Go to the open thread.  

C&EN: "BASF is in talks to buy Evonik"

From C&EN, this news (article by Alex Tullo): 

In a deal that would combine Germany’s two largest chemical makers, BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, says it is in talks to purchase Evonik Industries.

In recent years, both firms have been hammered in Europe by high production costs, cheap imports, and moribund regional demand. Both firms have responded by cutting costs and trimming their portfolios.

BASF, which generated $67.4 billion in sales in 2025, has reduced costs by about $2 billion since 2023 and has cut its payroll by about 4,800 positions over the past 2 years.

In 2024 BASF’s CEO Marcus Kamieth announced a strategy to focus on its core basic chemical, specialty chemical, and materials businesses. It subsequently sold a majority stake in its coatings business, one of world’s largest producers of automotive paints, to the Carlyle Group. It is also planning to spin off its agricultural chemical unit next year.

Wow! I guess that things have been pretty bad in Europe for a while, but this seems like big news. BASF says this is exploratory, but we shall see. 

Have a great weekend

Well, it's been an interesting week here. Not a bad one (yet!) I hope that you have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Monday for (hopefully) another 5-day week. 

Semafor: "Trump administration backing off NIH grant order amid pushback"

Via Semafor, this news: 

The Trump administration is backing off its initial plan for an executive order that would give the president greater influence over decisionmaking on National Institutes of Health grants, according to three people familiar with the process.

The move comes after Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, pressured the Office of Management and Budget to abandon the effort outright.

While the White House is changing course on the planned order, it still may release one on NIH grants that takes a different tack. The White House and NIH declined to comment.

In an interview with Semafor on Wednesday, Collins said she’s been raising concerns about the politicization of NIH grants since July and believes she’s “making progress” on fending off the executive order....

...“There is still a question of ‘Is it dead?’ versus ‘We don’t actually have a choice but to wait, so we might as well not do this before the midterms,’” said one pharmaceutical industry lobbyist.

If the administration had advanced the original scope of the planned NIH order, it could sink Congress’ ability to pass a stopgap spending bill at the end of the year.

“They have to” pull back, a person familiar with the talks said. “They won’t be able to pass a CR on December 11 if they issue an EO.”

The Trump Administration clearly has targeted NIH for special treatment. It's a shame that it seemingly takes an enormous amount of political pressure from Congress simply for the White House to leave them alone. 

Job posting: Entry Level Chemist, Thermo Fisher, Middleton, WI

Via Indeed: 

Our PPD® Laboratory Services team has a direct impact on improving patient health through the expertise of scientists, industry thought leaders and therapeutic experts. As the world leader in serving science, our laboratory professionals bring their commitment to accuracy and quality to deliver groundbreaking innovations.

Discover Impactful Work:

As a Scientist I, you will use innovative technologies to perform high-quality sample testing for key pharmaceutical clients across the industry. Your sample preparation and analysis serve as an integral piece in helping PPD accomplish our goal of helping bring life-changing therapies to market.

Education

Bachelor's degree (Life Sciences degree preferred) or equivalent and relevant formal academic / vocational qualification

Experience

Previous work experience which is comparable to 0-2 years, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "WashU professor accused of touching students sues university for 'anti-male bias'"

Via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, this development on September 2: (article by Monica Obradovic)

Washington University chemistry professor charged with assault is now suing the university, claiming "anti-male bias" led to a slanted investigation into his conduct, national shame and the loss of his teaching privileges. 

Jonathan Barnes, in the lawsuit filed Tuesday, said he wrongfully was accused of sexually harassing several female students in 2024 and complained the university handled the students' complaints in a biased manner.

The lawsuit is the latest chapter in a two-year saga on the allegations against Barnes, which began with an anonymous accusation posted online. In October 2024, posts on Sidechat, a messaging app for college students, accused Barnes of misconduct. The following month, an Instagram account called @metoo_WashU accused Barnes of grooming and inappropriately touching female students.

Barnes sued the creator of the account in June 2025, after its posts led to news coverage in WashU's student newspaper and national higher education news site Inside Higher Ed. The lawsuit is scheduled for a jury trial in November.

Four months after Barnes filed the lawsuit, St. Louis County prosecutors filed three fourth-degree misdemeanor assault charges against the professor after at least two of his former students spoke with police. The case still is pending and a hearing is scheduled for Sept. 15.

Full article here. No updates as to the hearing for the assault charges. 

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 179 research/teaching positions and 16 teaching positions

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 176 research/teaching positions and 16 teaching positions 

Want to help out? Here's a Google Form to enter positions.

On September 30, 2025, the 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 186 research/teaching positions and 21 teaching positions. On September 24, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 288 research/teaching positions and 22 teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here is 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: 45 research/teaching positions and 4 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Todd N. Whittaker) has 45 research/teaching positions and 4 teaching positions. 

Want to chat? Go to the open thread.  

New York Times: "White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants"

Via the New York Times: 

The White House has begun drafting a new executive order that could further cement President Trump’s ability to control billions of dollars in scientific grants and expand the administration’s pressure campaign against elite universities.

Discussed at a highly contentious meeting at the White House on Friday, the order aims to create a new external committee with the power to veto awards in the National Institutes of Health’s vast research portfolio that do not conform to Mr. Trump’s political agenda, according to people with knowledge of the effort.

During the meeting, Mr. Trump repeatedly complained about his administration’s failure to bring Harvard University in particular to heel. The administration has been unable to hammer out a deal with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, a central plank of his broader push against “woke” ideology in higher education.

Full article is here. I am on the record believing that Russell Vought's intent is to stop as much NIH funding as possible, as long as possible, no matter the legality of the matter or the intent of the Congress to give NIH money. (Because of this, I think the new Congress should consider impeaching Vought.) To me, this article confirms that Trump is in on this as well. Sure would be nice if the executive branch would stop doing stuff like this, but this indicates to me that, as long as Vought is part of the Trump Administration, the NIH is not safe.