Have a good weekend

Relaxing week for me - I hope it was good for you as well. Hope you have a good weekend, and we'll see you on Monday. 

Job posting: Product Development Engineer – Adhesive, Green Bay Packaging Inc, Green Bay, WI

Via C&EN Jobs: 

Due to our continued growth, Green Bay Packaging Inc., Coated Products Operations is currently searching for a Product Development Engineer – Adhesive for our Green Bay Headquarters’ location.

Founded in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a privately owned, vertically integrated company consisting of corrugated container plants, folding cartons, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label rollstock, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility.

Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging Inc. employs over 4,600 team members and operates 41 facilities in 14 states, each with a dedication to innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, quality, sustainability, and continuous improvement. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit www.gbp.com

The Product Development Engineer - Adhesives will be part of the Technical team, which consists of engineers, technicians, and analysts working in Research & Development, Technical Service, Process Improvement, and Quality roles.

Responsibilities will include:

• Partnering with Sales & Marketing to define gaps in GBP’s product portfolio and identify new growth opportunities within the pressure sensitive industry.
• Working directly with customers to understand and define their wants, needs, and associated value of new technologies.
• Developing new products that meet customer CTQs and are robust in design.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A minimum of 3 years of Technical/Product Development experience in a related industry.
• BS degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Material Science & Engineering.
• Background in adhesives and pressure sensitive products.

Posted salary: $80,000 - $120,000. Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Fun article about perfume (and an Italian perfumer)

 Sitting here on vacation, I came across this fun New York Times Magazine article about a perfumer in Parma, Italy: 

...The final bottle of perfume went around the table. This one, called Avatar, mimicked the experience of entering a gelateria. It was the most unnervingly evocative of the three lunch scents. At first spritz, it smelled like cold marble, polished glass, wiped surfaces. Ten minutes later, the scent was that of gelato: cream, egg yolks, white sugar. Later that evening, long after lunch was over, I sniffed my left wrist and nearly shrieked. The cold marble and sugared cream had vanished. In their place was a smell that didn’t exist earlier, that seemed to arise from nothing. It was the smell of freshly baked ice cream cones. What sorcery was this?

Not any kind of sorcery, actually, if you are a chemist. Smells are made of molecules, which come in different sizes and weights and levels of complexity. Some odor molecules are detectable by humans, but in order for us to smell one, it must evaporate from wherever it lives — a ripe nectarine, a gym bag — and physically enter the nose. Because the smelly molecules that make up a perfume come in various shapes and weights, they escape and fly into noses at different rates. Some zoom up there instantly; others stubbornly refuse to take wing until hours have passed.

When perfumers — or the promotional materials that accompany a perfume — refer to top notes, middle notes (or heart notes) and base notes, this is what they mean. The molecules that evaporate speediest are the first to reach your nose, as well as the first to disappear entirely. Top notes are ephemeral. If you buy a fragrance based on the top notes, you’ll be forever trying to write a check that chemistry can’t cash. After the coy top notes come the sturdier middle notes, which have a slower rate of evaporation. The base notes last longest, sometimes through several showers. If you know the rate at which each layer evaporates, you can program a fragrance like a piece of software...

I'm sure this is well-known to perfume chemists, but I wasn't aware. Cool article. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 45 research/teaching positions and 4 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 45 research/teaching positions and 4 teaching positions. 

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

To see trending, go to Andrew Spaeth's visualization of previous years' list.

On July 25, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 52 research/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. 

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 4 research/teaching positions and 6 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc or Daniyal Kiani) has 4 research/teaching positions and 6 teaching positions. 

This will be the open thread for the year. 

Job posting: full-time lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (general/organic/inorganic)

 From the inbox: 

We invite applications for a full-time lecturer position starting in Fall 2024. The appointment is for one year. We are seeking candidates that are committed to excellence in undergraduate teaching, mentoring and service. We are also seeking candidates that are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

Candidates with a PhD in chemistry and related fields who demonstrated excellence in teaching college- level chemistry courses in general chemistry, organic or inorganic chemistry are strongly encouraged to apply.

A normal teaching load for lecturers is two courses per semester. The expectation for these positions is to teach a combination of general chemistry, organic or inorganic chemistry lecture and laboratory courses with multiple sections.

To apply, please submit a letter of application, CV, summary of teaching experience, and three confidential letters of reference via Interfolio by July 29, 2024.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.

Job posting: full-time lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (general/physical/organic/bioanalytical)

From the inbox: 

We invite applications for full-time lecturer positions starting in Fall 2024. Initial appointment is for one year with possible renewal for additional one-year terms. We are seeking candidates that are committed to excellence in undergraduate teaching, mentoring and service. We are also seeking candidates that are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

Candidates with a PhD in chemistry and related fields who demonstrated excellence in teaching college- level chemistry courses in general chemistry, physical, organic or bio-analytical chemistry are strongly encouraged to apply.

A normal teaching load for lecturers is two courses per semester. The expectation for these positions is to teach a combination of general chemistry, physical, organic or bio-analytical lecture and laboratory courses with multiple sections.

To apply, please submit a letter of application, CV, summary of teaching experience, and three confidential letters of reference via Interfolio by July 29, 2024.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

C&EN: "Court overturns conviction of chemist Feng “Franklin” Tao"

In this week's C&EN, this news (article by Leigh Krietsch Boerner): 

The 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver voted 2–1 on July 11 to throw out the conviction of former University of Kansas (KU) chemist Feng “Franklin” Tao. A jury had found Tao guilty of one count of making false statements to KU, the US National Science Foundation, and the US Department of Energy because he did not disclose connections to Fuzhou University in China.

Judge Nancy Louse Moritz states in the ruling that there was insufficient evidence that Tao’s disclosure statement to KU was relevant to the two government agencies. “We reverse Tao’s conviction and remand for the district court to enter a judgment of acquittal,” she writes.

Tao was tried in March 2022 under the China Initiative, a controversial program that the US Department of Justice created to crack down on economic espionage. The Biden administration ended the program in February 2022 because it was targeting people of Asian descent.

In April 2022, the Kansas City, Kansas, jury found Tao guilty of one count of making false statements and three counts of wire fraud. US District Judge Julie A. Robinson, who oversaw Tao’s trial, acquitted him of the wire fraud counts in September of that year. In January 2023, she sentenced him to time served and supervised release for two years.

I continue to marvel at the lack of results from the China Initiative to actually crack down on Chinese espionage in the United States. 

Styrene release in Illinois?

Via NBC Chicago: 

The release of a volatile chemical led to a large emergency response on Saturday at a plant in unincorporated Will County, authorities said.

At around 11:38 a.m., the Channahon Fire Protection District was called to INEOS Styrenics for a hazardous material incident, the fire district said in a news release. Fire crews arrived to facility employees attempting to cool a large container of approximately 5,000 gallons of styrene. Styrene is a liquid used to create polystyrene, a solid plastic.

Staff have been working to maintain the container's temperature since earlier this week, when the facility shifted to generator power after a tornado struck the area. Hazardous materials teams responded to the scene and determined no volatile fumes were being released into the atmosphere and there were no chemical reactions "that could escalate the situation."

The styrene was said to be contained as of 3:12 p.m., and there was no threat to the community, officials stated.

Sounds like the styrene was self-polymerizing - I'd love to know what they did to cool the container down, or how they inhibited the self-heating. (Also, why are they talking about a release?) 

Have a great week

I have to admit, there is something pleasant (maybe delightful?) about driving through Midwestern cornfields. That is one lovely thing I'm taking from this week. I hope that you had a good week (maybe not with plane delays) and that you have a great weekend. I know I will. See you on Monday. 

NYT: Cassava executives resigned

Via the New York Times, this news:  

Two top officials at Cassava Sciences — a small pharmaceutical company in Austin, Texas, embroiled in years of controversy over a proposed Alzheimer’s drug — have resigned.

Remi Barbier, the chairman and chief executive, stepped down on Wednesday but will remain at Cassava “without duties or responsibilities” until September, according to a company statement.

Lindsay Burns, Cassava’s chief scientist, who is married to Mr. Barbier, will also leave the company.

In June, a neuroscientist at the City College of New York, Hoau-Yan Wang, was charged with fraud by a federal grand jury for allegedly falsifying data to obtain research grants from the National Institutes of Health.

In collaboration with Dr. Burns, Dr. Wang published research studies in support of Cassava’s drug candidate for Alzheimer’s, called simufilam. It is currently in advanced trials, although more than five of Dr. Wang’s studies have been retracted or questioned by scientific journals.

It is amazing that these scientists to get as far as clinical trials. That's a lot of patients affected. 

Job posting: Scientist I - HIV, The Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Silver Spring, MD

Via C&EN Jobs: 

HJF is seeking a Scientist I to develop and supervise research projects. Investigates the feasibility of applying a wide variety of scientific principles and concepts to potential inventions, products and problems. Develops new technologies and protocols. This position will be in support of the Laboratory of Adjuvant and Antigen Research (LAAR), Adjuvants and Formulation section within the Military HIV Research Program (MHRP).

The selected candidate will oversee and conduct quantitative analyses of ALFQ using UPLC-MS/MS qualified assays in support of clinical trials. Develop novel adjuvants, and investigate the mechanism of ALFQ formation and its adjuvant action. Design and conduct preclinical animal studies for HIV, substance of abuse and other vaccines formulated with Army Liposomes Formulations as adjuvants. Supervise research projects and technical staff. This is the second of four levels within the Scientist series. It is characterized by pursuing research along a focused line of inquiry, and having first authorship on a paper-reviewed publication. This level has autonomy with clearly defined tasks, making independent decisions based on general guidance, and in managing independent research projects.

Education and Experience

• Doctoral Degree in Chemistry required.
• Minimum of 2-5 years experience required.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Experience in UPLC-mass spectroscopy.

Full ad here. Posted salary: $73,800.00 - $130,000.00 annually + benefits. Best wishes to those interested.

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 35 research/teaching positions and 4 teaching positions

 The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 35 research/teaching positions and 4 teaching positions. 

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

To see trending, go to Andrew Spaeth's visualization of previous years' list.

On July 18, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 41 research/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. 

What happens to academic laboratory solvent waste?

Also in this week's C&EN, this great article by Leigh Krietsch Boerner:

Daily solvent use is pretty much a given in a synthetic chemistry lab.

In academic laboratories, it’s such an ingrained part of research that chemists might forget that solvents can be serious safety and health hazards. Commonly used solvents tend to be flammable and carcinogenic, and many can cause organ damage and even death from overexposure. The US Environmental Protection Agency recently added new restrictions and safety measures to the lab favorite dichloromethane because of its adverse health effects.

Solvents aren’t so great for the environment either. Most are classified as hazardous waste and are known to kill fish, pollute the air, and make water undrinkable. But what many chemists either forget or don’t realize is that using solvents in research contributes to climate change.

That’s because a lot of the solvent waste that comes from academic labs is burned, sending carbon dioxide into the air. Between 2011 and 2021, academic labs in the US generated an average of 4,300 metric tons (t) of hazardous waste a year. Almost half this waste is solvents, and more than half the hazardous waste is burned.

Although the ideas and practices of green chemistry are spreading, the amount of waste US academic labs produce annually has stayed roughly the same. C&EN analyzed 10 years of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) biennial hazardous waste reports from US colleges and universities and uncovered the amount of waste that academic labs produced, what kind of waste it was, and what happened to it.

As chemists, I think we should have a good understanding of what happens to our waste once it gets poured into the red can/glass bottle. Read the whole thing. 

C&EN: "What does the new EPA methylene chloride rule mean for academic labs?"

In this week's C&EN, a good overview and summary on the EPA's prohibitions on methylene chloride and their impact on academic groups (article by Krystal Vasquez): 

On April 30, the US Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule that prohibits nearly all uses of methylene chloride. To the relief of many academic chemists, the EPA carved out a number of exceptions to the ban, including the solvent’s use as a laboratory chemical.

But upon closer inspection of the regulation, researchers in the US are realizing that to keep using methylene chloride in their labs, they will need to conduct baseline monitoring and implement strict workplace safety measures—all in about a year.

At the time of the writing of the article, this EPA guidance document was not available, but now it is. It's thorough and clear, as the article notes, I think the practical effect will be the creation of a lot of poorly done EH&S compliance by overworked EH&S workers, grad students and PIs and a lot of regrettable substitution (get ready for a run on 1,2-dichloroethane). Maybe this will all work out for the better, but I don't think so.

Job posting: Program Director - Green Chemistry Initiative, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Palo Alto, CA

Via C&EN Jobs: 

Gordon and Betty Moore established the foundation to create positive outcomes for future generations. Guided by this vision and the Statement of Founders' Intent, the foundation fosters path-breaking environmental conservation, scientific discovery, and preservation of the special character of the San Francisco Bay Area. We strive to make significant and durable impacts on the world.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The foundation is seeking an individual to lead the newly approved “Green Chemistry Initiative: Sustainable Molecular Transformations,” a seven-year, ~$90 million effort that seeks to transform the trajectory of selected areas of basic research in chemistry to align with the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry[1] – with the aim of creating the enabling conditions that will help scientists accelerate progress towards solving critical sustainability challenges.  The initiative was designed based on recommendations from the foundation’s science advisers and in close consultation with the green chemistry community.  It will focus on supporting research around four core questions:

• The study of molecular reaction dynamics. How can we measure reaction pathways to visualize all reaction steps and intermediates rather than just starting and ending materials?
• Understanding and control of electrostatic (non-covalent, or “weak force”) molecule interactions. How can electrostatic forces be used as design principles to manipulate and synthesize matter without significant energy input?
• Measurement and reaction control in complex mixtures. How can we reliably monitor and control all phases of chemical reactions in complex mixtures?
• Development of new toxicology measurement tools and standards. How can we a) measure toxicity at the same rate and scale as chemical instrumental analysis and b) openly share measurement data to create new standards for the field?

This position reports to the Chief of Programs.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead strategy refinement and implementation of the initiative by managing a small team of staff to:
• Create a pipeline of competitive research proposals supporting investigators and teams conducting high-risk research in chemical dynamics, electrostatic/weak force interactions, and mixtures.
• Develop and implement a model for scientific collaboration that reduces multidisciplinary silos, strengthens international partnerships, and builds connections across the fields of chemistry, material science, engineering, toxicology, and biology.
• Support basic research for developing, testing, and validating novel predictions in experimental processes, tools and materials, and new instrumentation and equipment for measuring and controlling reactions.
• Identify and support dissemination of novel theories, processes, tools, and materials, including developing and sharing an open-access toxicology platform.
• Stay abreast of the state of knowledge in a fast-evolving field.  Maintain a professional network that enables the initiative to surface the most exciting opportunities that are ripe for investment while understanding the funding landscape well enough to assess the value that the foundation’s resources can contribute.

Salary: $290,000 - $375,000. Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

FiercePharma: "House Speaker Mike Johnson pledges vote for BIOSECURE as China-targeting bill hangs in limbo"'

Via FiercePharma: 

Ahead of an election in November—and amid a period of legislative uncertainty for the China-targeting BIOSECURE Act—U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R - LA) has pledged to hold a vote for the controversial bill before the year is out.

Speaking at an event held by conservative think tank the Hudson Institute, Johnson guaranteed that BIOSECURE would get his support and promised to push through more legislation around China-U.S. competition in 2024.  

“We will vote on the BIOSECURE Act, which will halt federal contracts with biotech companies that are beholden to adversaries,” Johnson said at the Hudson Institute event Monday.

The bill, introduced earlier this year by former Republican congressman Mike Gallagher, seeks to halt federal contracts with Chinese biotech outfits that are “beholden to adversaries and endanger Americans’ healthcare debt,” Johnson explained.

...While BIOSECURE has won wide bipartisan support, an attempt for a House floor vote that would have included the bill as an amendment to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) fell short in June. The NDAA door remains open in the Senate—but voting on it as a standalone bill is considered difficult... 

I'm still a bit skeptical about overall passage of the BIOSECURE Act this year, but we'll see. 

Chinese food products are transported in fuel tankers?

Via Reuters, this news: 

BEIJING, July 9 (Reuters) - China's food safety commission will investigate the alleged use of fuel tanker trucks to transport cooking oil, state media reported on Tuesday, amid fears of possible food contamination.

Local daily The Beijing News last week reported that state stockpiler Sinograin's fuel tankers were found transporting food products like cooking oil, soybean oil and syrup, without cleaning the tankers in between.

The food safety commission will hold a special meeting with state planning agency the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Administration of Grain and Reserves, and other ministries to discuss and investigate the allegations, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

"Illegal enterprises and relevant responsible persons will be severely punished in accordance with the law and will not be tolerated," CCTV said.

It is really interesting to think about various aspects of Chinese society and see where they are in comparison to the broad sweep of history. While it seems sometimes that Chinese industrial food practices are a lot closer to "The Jungle" than not, I'm sure there are places (electronic cash transfers?) where they seem to be living in the future. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 24 research/teaching positions and 2 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 24 research/teaching positions and 2 teaching positions. 

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

To see trending, go to Andrew Spaeth's visualization of previous years' list.

On July 11, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 24 research/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. 

Job posting: NMR facility director, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI

From the inbox: 

The Department of Chemistry of Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI) is seeking an experienced scientist to serve as Director of its Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) facility. The director will manage a state-of-the-art NMR facility that contains three primary instruments – a Varian-600 VNMRS system equipped with a cryogenic probe as well as a TXI triple resonance probe, a Varian-400 VNMRS system with 1D and 2D homonuclear and heteronuclear capabilities, and a Varian-Mercury 300 system with an autosampler. The NMR facility at Marquette supports a variety of grant-funded research programs across the department and university, as well as other universities and industries in southeastern Wisconsin. The NMR facility also provides support to undergraduate educational programs including our organic chemistry laboratories and upper division chemistry laboratories. The position requires expert level knowledge of NMR theory, methodology, and instrumentation. 

The ideal candidate will be able to work independently and help solve research problems for faculty, post-doctoral associates, and graduate students. A Ph.D. in Chemistry or Biochemistry or related field is required. All applications for this position must be received through Marquette University’s electronic recruiting system: https://employment.marquette.edu/postings/21552

Candidates must provide: 1) a curriculum vitae, 2) a cover letter that addresses how the candidate’s past and present experiences will inform their work as facility director, and 3) contact information for three references. Questions about the position should be directed to muchem@marquette.edu.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

People blame chemicals, not people, I guess

In this week's C&EN, this remarkable opening to an opinion piece by Amelia Greene, the cofounder of Women in Chemicals, a non-profit group:

"Do you feel guilty?” the woman at a networking event asked me. “Guilty about what?” I replied. “What your company is doing to the environment,” she answered with exasperation. We were in New York City, and after the woman I was talking with had mentioned she worked in finance, I had replied that I worked in the chemical industry. That was enough to prompt her ire.

What about all the good things we’re doing? The chemical industry is spearheading the switch away from fossil fuels, it played a pivotal role in fighting COVID-19, and it ensures a constant viable food supply. The interaction was telling, and I had a major realization: the chemical industry has a massive marketing problem.

I’ve heard countless stories from individuals about the head-scratching responses they get after telling others that they work in the chemical industry. The general population has no idea how vital chemistry is to everyday life. Our industry remains largely hidden from the public, and most individuals don’t realize how often they are interacting with chemistry or the by-products of chemistry in their daily lives.

Ms. Greene's general thoughts about the relative lack of interest by people in the chemical industry, and the marketing problems of the chemical industry are very familiar to the readers of this blog. 

I do have to say that I am genuinely shocked to find people who seem to view the chemical industry as the problem of climate change and environmental damage, as opposed to a broad and complex societal problem to solve together. (Shrugs) That's the real weird part to me. 

Independence Day

Thursday is the observation of the July 4 Independence Day holiday in the United States - we'll see you Monday morning.