Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 500 research/teaching positions and 39 teaching faculty positions

The 2020 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 500 research/teaching positions and 39 teaching assistant professor positions.

Want to add a position? Here's a Google Form to enter positions. In 2019-2020, we will be adding teaching professor positions, targeting positions that demonstrate an intention to renew permanently, 3 year terms and a promotion ladder and/or are titled "assistant teaching professor" or "associate teaching professor." As of 9/20/19, we are adding community college positions if they explicitly offer tenure.

See an error? Please contact us at chemjobber@gmail.com

On December 18, 2018, the 2018 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 513 positions.

Open threads: firstsecondthirdfourthfifthThe current one is the sixth. This post will be the seventh open thread, opening on December 17.

Can't see additional comments? Look for the "load more" button underneath the comment box.

215 comments:

  1. Does anyone have news about the analytical position at Colorado State?

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  2. Anything new from UC Irvine?

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    1. I am still waiting on news from UCI as well, seems kind of long doesn't it?

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    2. I got a call yesterday

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  3. UT-Dallas is scheduling onsite interviews. Loyola is scheduling Skype interviews

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  4. Any news from Oakland University?

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    1. I submitted my application in the middle of November and had a telephone interview near the end of November. They said they wouldn't be scheduling onsites until January.

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    2. Oakland has scheduled their interviews

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    3. How long ago were on-sites scheduled?

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    4. Which position were the recent interviews for? Oakland had postings for organic chemistry and biochemistry (in biological sciences).

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    5. I was talking about the organic one (interviews scheduled 2 weeks ago)

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  5. Any news from University of Vermont? Analytical position

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    1. I have not heard anything yet. Has anyone been contacted yet?

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  6. Anyone got an invitation for onsite from New Mexico Tech?

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    1. when was your phone/skype interview?

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    2. I'm not OP, but as far as I know Skype interviews were held the week of December 2-6.

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    3. Thanks for letting me know!

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  7. Do you guys feel bad about delaying your response to an offer?

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    1. It would be nice to get through the process without any delays but the reality is that these schools are all on different timelines. That makes this all pretty complicated. Don't feel bad at all. You have to advocate for yourself and get what's best for you. Of course, be understanding of their timeline constraints, too. They need to have a good chance of landing their next choice if you decline. (And you actually need to ask for an extension, don't just not respond. I'm sure you know this, but your question leave this as a possible interpretation.)

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    2. Yea, I definitely asked for an extension. Now just waiting to hear back from other schools before I commit or reject. Just feels kind of bad making them wait.

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    3. I am beginning to realize that the fact that most schools have completely different schedules is probably the WORST part of this. I'm in a position of potentially having an offer in the first weeks of January from a quality department that seems quite compatible in many ways - my onsite went super well. At the same time, I have on-site visits already being scheduled into February at other places that very well could be amazing fits (even better?) and worth full consideration. But if I get that January offer, there's no way I can make them wait two months so I can explore others. I feel like I'm gambling with my life.

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    4. If you genuinely get an offer, you can immediately turn around to the other schools and get them to think about moving their schedules. If you are feeling confident, you can do that now, i.e. "I want to give you a fair shake, and I am giving you a chance to reschedule if needed", etc.

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    5. @4:50 You shouldn't cry about the multi offer/timing situation, it is not the worst part and you are not gambling with your life. If the fit doesn't turn out great, you can always move, especially around tenure time. The only people who can't ever move are the ones that get tenure and then stop being productive (and we are all waiting for them to retire to free up some positions).

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    6. @7:44 No need to be salty. OP had a valid question/concern.

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    7. @4:50 PM, in my experience you definitely can ask them to wait and they will most likely expect to. First off, you have to have a second visit and a formal offer letter in hand before you can accept. Even if everything goes perfectly, a January offer may not be official until March. In my case, I ultimately got two informal offers right before Christmas, but continued interviews until Feb 1, and didn't ultimately accept a position until around April 1.

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  8. Any updates on Western Michigan after remote interviews?

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    1. I haven't heard back since my remote interview, either. They said they would contact me within two weeks and it has been about that long now. They said on-sites would be in January. I'm guessing they will send out on-site interview invitations this week with the holiday just around the corner and all.

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    2. Is this with regards to the ChemEd or Organic position?

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    3. Organic position.
      I’m hoping to hear from them this week, but who knows? :(

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    4. Just received an on-campus interview invite for the Organic position.

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  9. U Georgia is sending out on-site invitations for their short list

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  10. Any updates on Rowan on-site invitations?

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  11. Has anyone heard about on sites for Southern Illinois?

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  12. Anybody know about:
    Michigan Med School Biological Chemistry
    Oregon Health Sciences University
    University of Minnesota Med Chem
    Delaware Biopharmaceutical Chemistry

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    1. OHSU already scheduled on-sites. Haven’t heard from others yet.

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  13. UC Irvine scheduling on-site interviews

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    1. What area? Inorganic or soft matter?

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    2. For Chemical Biology/pharmacy or Inorganic/soft materials?

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    3. They also invited people for soft matter too

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  14. The Kent State link doesn't work and I can't find the job on the Kent State job postings board. Does anyone know of a working link?

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  15. UBC Inorganic scheduling on-sites

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    1. What area of inorganic?

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    2. Synthetic inorganic/organometallic

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  16. Boise State is doing on-sites

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  17. Cal Poly Pomona Analytical is scheduling on site interviews

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  18. Any news about Washington State University for Analytical position?

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  19. Has anyone heard anything from UT Southwestern biochemistry?

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    1. I think someone one or two pages back mentioned an interview invitation

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  20. Has anyone heard from Bridgewater State University?

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    1. I had an onsite interview there the week after Thanksgiving but haven't heard back since then.

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    2. @ 1:48 PM: Thanks. Guess I am out then.

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  21. Western Michigan is scheduling on-site interviews for the Assistant level Organic Position.

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  22. Received rejection letter from Georgia Tech Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

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  23. I know for a fact that a position I interviewed for (onsite) has been filled, yet the university has not contacted me to let me know they went with someone else. It has been at least two weeks since the papers were signed. I am curious how common is it for onsite interviewees to not be notified of the position filling. Does anyone have insights?

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    1. Sometimes a year later when you forget you visited there.

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    2. Still waiting on the University of Central Florida. Had on-site there in 2017.

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    3. That's pretty assholic. The spots I had onsites at all had the decency to send an email indicating the position has been filled/closed, even the one that I'd previously sent an email to saying that I'd accepted another offer. The closed ones sometimes took a while, but radio silence is pretty low. These are people that you and others spend 2 days with and formed a rapport with. You'll communicate this discourtesy to others, and the departments reputation will suffer.

      On the other hand, how confident are you about "filled?" An offer out is not the same as formally accepted and getting actual ink-on-paper can take over a month. (Though if your labmate accepted the offer there, you might be pretty damn sure.) Maybe they have multiple offers out? It wouldn't be inappropriate at this juncture to email the chair or your faculty host and ask for an update. Until an offer is truly signed, no department would sign off on the runner-up candidates. Who knows, maybe they'll get approval for a second hire?

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  24. CMU has sent out invitation for onsite

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  25. Monmouth College position has been filled

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  26. UMass Amherst is scheduling onsite interviews for its computational materials chemistry position.

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  27. Anyone heard anything from Georgia Tech?

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  28. CU Denver has scheduled on-site interviews for the analytical chemistry position.

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    1. Do you know how many they invite?

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    2. @ 2:54 PM: OP here. I have no idea how many they have invited, sorry.

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  29. U Wisconsin La Crosse just canceled their Pchem position. UW Platteville canceled a search earlier this year. Does anyone know what's going on in the University of Wisconsin system?

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  30. Has anyone heard from Clemson University?

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    1. They have scheduled on sites for their pchem opening.

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    2. what about materials (interface with chem bio)?

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    3. I skype interviewed for the materials chem bio, but haven't heard anything about onsites, so I assume it's a no go. They said we'd hear this week.

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    4. Clemson chem department (for the Chem bio position) is already finalizing a candidate. Not me though!

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    5. @2:24 Is that what they told you? I got an email this morning saying they were delayed in scheduling, but would get back the first week of January. It didn't say one way or another if I'd be invited out.

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    6. @11:46. I was not contacted. Got to know the information from someone at the university. Wishing you good luck!

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  31. NMSU has started scheduling phone/skype interviews..

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  32. Seriously though, what's up with these low-ball offers.

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    1. What is the low-ball offer?

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    2. Boomers, that's what

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    3. so far as I understand, the Chronicle of Higher Education has the best data for faculty salaries?

      https://data.chronicle.com/

      forewarned is forearmed, or some such thing

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    4. @10:38PM is this for an R1. If this isn't a cal school I think $70-80k is pretty much ballpark

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    5. At least for one school that I'm looking at, the Chronicle of Higher Ed data doesn't match up with the data that is reported by the state. The Higher Ed data says something around $70K, while the state reports $90K. I wonder if Higher Ed is reporting what an assistant prof actually gets paid in one year, which is a 10 month contract spread out over 12 months in this case, and the state is expanding the 10 month contract to 12 months of that pay and reporting that. ??? (The math still isn't quite right, but maybe there are other benefits that are included in the state-reported compensation, as well.) It's all a bit confusing. The higher Ed data is likely also taking into account lower-paying departments outside of STEM.

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    6. @11:46. Not R1, but the schools are in Cal.

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    7. I was offered $83K 9 month at an R2 in a nonexpensive area... I would assume R1s should at least be that high.

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    8. @1.13. One of our postdocs started with 94k at a large public R1 three years ago, another one with 89k at R1 five years ago. Today I would expect 95-100k for a good R1 (for NY and LA area I know that starting salaries are around 110k+)

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    9. I had an offer from a PUI (SLAC) for 80K in an inexpensive area. There are a lot of factors.

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    10. @1:36 Dang, 80K for PUI. Baller. Did that include summer salary? Or was that base?

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    11. @1:43 [this is 1:36] That was the 9 month salary

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    12. @2:48 That's wild. Which state was this in?

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    13. @ 3:41 Pennsylvania

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    14. Data points from previous years: Big R01 in the midwest: ~110K. East coast (non-NE) ~90k. Many public universities are required to post salary for professors. A little googling will get you the last few years hires' salaries and appointment lengths. For public Unis that number is often the least flexible in a negotiation (read: approval by the Regents or state legislature to get a change) but private Us have greater flexibility.

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    15. I guess it depends on the school/area/etc. I negotiated for $75k 9 month with 2/3 summer guaranteed for two years (so like $91.5k; original offer was 70k 9 month) at an R2 in PA, where cost of living is not too high. I know of a friend who got $80k/9 month at a PUI in CA, though with only $5k summer guaranteed.

      Compared to the PDF salary that I'm currently getting though this is like a three-times increase, which is phenomenal. Plus my wife and I can finally live in the same city again, so only one place to pay for...

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    16. Well, in many cases with public universities this is going to be locked in by department. The possibility for different assistant profs in the same department making different salaries when in most cases the salaries are viewable publicly is not something the dept wants to deal with, especially when you add in the factor that any differential between male and female professors in the department at the same level would be heavily scrutinized and possibly illegal as far as I understand.

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  33. Did anyone ever hear from WVU or LSU?

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    1. WVU reposted there ad!

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    2. Do you have a link you would like to share? Does anyone know why they have reposted?

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    3. There is a new positing, but it is to work in Jessica Hoovers lab as a research professor. Is this the new posting you are referring to?

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  34. Rejection from University of Louisville just came in.

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    1. University of Michigan

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    2. Those are really coming this week. Merry Christmas to us!

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    3. @ 2:44 it sure beats the hell out of not hearing anything.

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    4. you were phone interviewed?

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  35. Rejected by University of Michigan.

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    1. Same here - U-Michigan Chemistry Assistant level

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  36. How long after an on-site do people usually hear about an offer?

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    1. Depends on the school and the situation. I got my first offer after about three weeks. Then I was going to another interview with that offer on hand, and I let the committee know about it, so I got the second offer in about three business days (because they had to interview the last candidate a few days after me).

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    2. I finished my interview at 1700 Tues, dinner from 1700-1900 and then left the city the next day at 0600. By 1300 I had the verbal offer :D

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    3. It depends the Department's rules. I know a school, where faculty members vote and decide about the offer right after each candidate's visit and you can hear from them within a day or two. Other schools decide after all candidates are interviewed, and you can hear sooner if you are the last candidate or in a month if you were among the first ones.

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  37. Whats the status of ChemE and MSE faculty search?

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    1. Received reference letter request from Yale ChemE before Thanksgiving but nothing further.

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  38. McGill is scheduling polymer onsites.

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    1. anyone has update on the Green chemistry search from McGill?

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    2. McGill green chemistry is also scheduling onsites

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  39. Any updates on Wyoming or Old Dominion?

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    1. Nothing from either. That being said, the Old Dominion application asked for a $500k instrument start-up budget. I was confused by this. Did they want a budget that has $500k in instrument needs or was that also supposed to include money for students etc? I went with the latter hope I didn't miss the mark.

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    2. @2.30 - I assumed instrumentation only. Don’t know if that was the right approach, though.

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  40. Did anyone ever hear back from Barnard after on-site interviews?

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  41. St Olaf has hired for their biochemist position.

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  42. Any news from SUNY Binghamton (Biochemistry & Analytical Chemistry)?

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  43. Has anyone heard from UConn since the skype interviews? I forgot to ask about their timeline during the interview and they haven't respond to my email...

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    1. I haven't heard anything, and I'm in the same boat where I forgot to ask the their timeline.

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    2. Scheduling on-sites

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  44. Wishing everyone on this thread rest and a happy Christmas and New Year's season. Best wishes for 2020.

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    1. Happy Holidays too Chemjobber, thank you very much for making this platform possible. Wish you all the best in the coming new year!

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  45. Rejection from GATech Chemistry

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    1. Same here, and it was the worst day to inform the applicants, Ughhh

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    2. Same here, and it was the worst day to inform the applicants, Ughhh

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    3. same here, worst day to inform!

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  46. anyone hear anything from Marquette University?

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    1. Phone interviews are happening next week.

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  47. Does anyone feel a massive burn-out after the interviews? Things went well for me, and there was a week of really high highs, but now I just can't feel anything, and struggle to find motivation to even throw out the trash, wash dishes, etc.

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    1. i do feel a massive burnout, don't want to do anything at all and sad that the holiday is over...but i am still waiting on decisions. so at least you are having it better than me!

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    2. Right! I feel like I didn't even get into the holiday spirit this year! It just all passed and I didn't participate. Fingers crossed for you; hope you get a great offer!

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    3. That depends... How many interviews did you have? @2:02

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    4. Yes, I'm feeling the same way. I got an offer a few weeks after one of my onsites, and was thrilled. After seeing the startup, I'm somewhat underwhelmed and now unsure if I can even be successful there or if academia is even what I want to do anymore! I put so much effort into this process, and now it's over, and I'm feeling conflicted.

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    5. Yes, I feel a massive burn-out after interviews in December, but I still need to go to another one in January... and continue my work for a current advisor. However, the only thing I can do at this moment is to drink tea, eat chocolate and sleep while I can (I spent last 3 months without proper sleep and I was seriously sleep-deprived).

      @5.18. Do you still wait for other decisions? My friend got two offers last year, and the difference between his two startups offers was more than 200k. Startups do really depend on the current financial situation of a given Department.

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    6. Definitely burned out. All my interviews went well, got an offer. Negotiations were even more exhausting than the interviews and left me not even excited about the position despite accepting it. The whole process also made me really realize what exactly I want (and that this school can't offer that) so I'll be going through the whole process again (not on the same scale but still). Super burned out and conflicted at the end of it.

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    7. Totally burned out, and I have at least 4 more this January/February. Finally finding some motivation today so maybe I've recovered from the December onslaught.

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    8. @3:19 PM, I went on three on-sites.

      @5:18 PM, yea, I totally get that. The startup offers that I got at PUIs are definitely not extravagant. The one that I accepted actually offered me all of the synthetic equipment from the previous faculty member, and provided enough funds to get an expensive, but crucial, instrument. The lab/equipment inheritance certainly played a role in my final decision.

      @8:24 PM, mmmm tea and chocolate. Good luck with your January interview!

      @11:27 AM, honestly, yea, negotiations definitely felt more exhausting than interviews. I am still very excited about the position that I am accepting, but yea, negotiations were tiring. Hope you get a better offer next year if you decide to go that route.

      @11:50 AM, wow four down more to go. Congrats on getting so many! Hope they result in some awesome offers. Stay strong!

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    9. I had 5 onsite interviews last year and still feel burned out by them even though I've started as a new faculty at one of those institutions. I feel like I'm starting to snap out of it now, but it's been over a year...

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    10. @ 12:47 Do you have kids? I feel like most people get to go home and decompress, but I have to come home and keep small/tiny humans alive while catching up on all the work that was neglected while interviewing. It's just so mentally difficult sometimes!

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    11. @ 1:58 No, I don't have kids, and I have no idea how people with kids manage all of it! I felt ambitious and motivated during my PhD and postdoc, but it took 100% of my energy to publish, apply to faculty positions, and gtfo even when I could go home and decompress a bit.

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    12. If you're worn out just from interviewing... how do you think you'll handle 7 years of tenure stress?

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    13. @3:47 PM, the same way I handled teaching several classes per semester in grad school, while publishing multiple first author JACS papers, and serving as a president of a graduate student organization. Not every day of the job is going to involve incessant traveling and grueling uncertainty.

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  48. Ok, time to field a question. I have some job offers that I am considering, but there are some other schools in the spring semester that I am highly interested in for other reasons (closer to family, emotional attachment to the school, etc). I am not unhappy with either offer and both are offering two different but interesting career choices, but I keep thinking "what if" for the future school(s). Not saying that I think it is a great idea anyways, moreso a "safe" and an in my own self-interest option, but what downsides could result from accepting one of my two offers and then continuing to pursue one or two more schools. Short of an offer appearing from those later schools, the current one never has to have any issues crop up from what I can see.

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    1. "what downsides could result from accepting one of my two offers and then continuing to pursue one or two more schools"

      reputational damage due to a breach of implied trust, anecdotes to be shared via e-mail, phone and anonymous blogging

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    2. OP here. Those are the concerns I did indeed consider. I'm also curious if anyone else has been in this position before and did go down that route and what effects that they realized in the end. Or more preferably if there is a 3rd approach not yet considered.

      (can delete the out of sequence comment below)

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    3. I'm also interested in this. Considering some horror stories we've read about people accepting offers that fall through and ending up empty-handed, when should we stop interviewing? When we sign the offer?
      I've accepted an offer but don't have the paperwork yet. I have an on-site scheduled in less than a month that I'd very much like to cancel, but I'm terrified of something going wrong.

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    4. If you REALLY like those spring semester schools, maybe let them know that you have some job offers and see how they respond. If they feel you are the best match for them, they can try to speed up the process for you. If you pick up on a great match vibe too, then maybe take the chance and turn down the offers you're less certain about and pursue the remaining ones.

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    5. Asked the question on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chemjobber/status/1212851539359830016

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    6. Yes. Can you extend negotiations? You might not have to accept immediately, especially if you can find a complex issue. Spousal hires are a great slowdown.

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    7. From what I've gathered, nothing's official until you and the university have signed an offer. Until then, keep interviewing.

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    8. i dragged out an offer process as long as i possibly could to give myself time. it was fine. the dean actually suggested a one year deferral. they did eventually force me to sign an offer letter after a few months. but after having a previously signed offer letter revoked by a different university, i no longer sympathize with the implied honor system. if you can interview before you sign the letter do it. sign the letter. if you get a better offer, take it and notify the first dept as soon as you possibly can.

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    9. i second spousal hire as a delay tactic

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    10. From the hiring side, there was one time that the "spousal hire as a delay tactic" IMMEDIATELY turned our entire dept against a previously well-liked candidate.

      We know what you're trying. Don't.

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    11. @10:17 Wouldn't it be in the department's best interest to support the candidate for this if possible? If its really impossible/ not appropriate to do anything with regard to a spousal hire why not just say so? I don't quite understand why a department should begin disliking a candidate because they want to accommodate their spouse.

      Although I could see it leaving a bad taste if the spouse isn't qualified/couldn't be hired under normal conditions for the position.

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    12. anon 1/2/20 10:17 - some common advice on spousal hires is that you shouldn't mention the spouse until you have an offer. How would you suggest doing this without making it look like a delay tactic?

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    13. Just be honest with yourself about what you really want in life. You probably would regret joining a department you weren't really into just because it was a safe choice, and that department would absolutely feel it from you. Go for the things you want most out of life.

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    14. I wouldn't worry too much about leaving the first department in the lurch. It's not like there's any shortage of candidates for these jobs.

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    15. @KT 12:18- not true. Many schools bring in ~3 candidates. If they all turn down an offer for one reason or another, the search typically fails. Most depts. (especially PUIs/MS schools) can't afford to bring in an unlimited number of candidates.

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    16. A1017 here again. Say we give you 10 days. Mention the spouse on day 1, 2, or 3, great. Mention the spouse on day 10... c'mon man. We know what's up.

      Assume at least one person on the hiring committee is as clever as you think you are. We can usually tell the difference between negotiating in good faith and deliberate stall tactics.

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    17. Anon 12:27 - good point. I always had an eyeroll response to failed searches after seeing so many frustrated candidates on here, but I was under the impression it happened because they insisted on a purple unicorn with experience in the biochemistry of seaborgium or something equally unlikely.

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    18. KT - no, searches fail because schools in the middle of nowhere act surprised, surprised, when the two-body problem comes up.

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  49. Rejection letter from UTSW today

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    1. ...still waiting on my rejection. Took them a while...

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  50. One MS University invited me for Skype interview (~20 min)next week and what are the typical questions they usually ask? thank you!

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    1. Some questions I've gotten, in no particular order: 1) courses I could/could not teach; 2) describe my research to a layperson; 3) funding/equipment needs; 4) funding agencies; 5) incorporating UGs in my research; 6) creating an inclusive classroom environment; 7) why this type of institution, and why this particular school (this tends to be the first question); 8) what questions do you have for us; 9) what challenges do you expect as a new faculty

      Good luck!

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  51. Anyone heard anything from Augustana College or Seattle Pacific University?

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  52. I neglected to publicize this very interesting editorial about offer letters here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.chemmater.9b04051

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    1. Thanks for this CJ! Also happy new year!

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  53. What are some unique questions to ask the Dean, the Chair, and interviewing faculty during the on-site visit?

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    1. Some friends helped me with the Dean because I was tripped up with that one. They suggested asking about the financial state of the university, the standing of the department within the university, where they see the department headed, etc. This will give you a good idea on how administration views that particular department as well as stability of the university as a whole.

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    2. The higher-ups (deans, provost, president) tend to do a lot of the talking. You can ask them about future directions, 5-year plans, that type of thing. I asked them what was their favorite thing about the school/department, they usually like it when they can "look good".
      The chair - teaching loads, research resources, lab space, also future directions. Ask about requirements for tenure and support/mentoring for new faculty.
      The faculty - ask about their research, but also about tenure and support for new faculty. I asked them what advice they'd give me on my first day.
      Other things to ask (mainly at dinner, I'd say, but you can play it by ear): good areas to live, things to do in the area.
      Figure out how much support there is for grant writing/submission. They usually like that question, too.
      Disclaimer: this comes from a handful of on-sites and several remote interviews. It isn't infallible, though. Good luck!

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  54. UCI is starting to schedule seminars on their website

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    1. What area? Department?

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    2. Under Special Seminar? So only one listed so far?

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  55. Anyone have experience facing a two-body problem while applying for faculty positions? My significant other and I are both PhDs but only I am interested in going the academia route (PUIs only). Most PUIs are in smaller cities. Wonder how difficult it would be for both of us to find jobs in the same city. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

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    1. You can ask the faculty what their partners/spouses do sometimes (many will tell you with no prompting, too). Many schools will have you meet with someone from HR or their relocation office and you can ask them.
      I’ve heard of schools where the “other” spouse got a temp job at the beginning while looking for a more permanent job.
      It isn’t always easy, so ask as many questions as you can and get a feel for the place. People turn down offers because their SO can’t find a job in the area. It’s not a small detail.

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    2. I have a two-body problem, and it looks like one of us has to leave academia. We are not going to force any university to hire a spouse. We are waiting for some decisions from universities and then we will decide what to do. If you work in the same field, then finding a job at the same place is super hard, unless we are talking about few cities with multiple universities, i.e. Boston, New York, Chicago,...

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    3. I wanted to add (I am @11.15), that it is usually possible to get a job of a lecturer, not a tenure-track faculty position for your spouse. I know at least 3 professors at 2 different universities, whose spouses/partners got lecturer jobs. All of them were facing a two-body problem when they were applying for jobs.

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    4. I'm 10.12 - indeed, that's what I meant by "temp jobs", I've heard of several spouses who got lecturer jobs when they first moved (some of them stayed there, many left after a couple of years).

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    5. If you're planning on starting a family, it's a great time (three-body solution to the two-body problem). Most PUIs are in lower cost-of-living areas (but often commutable to "big-enough" cities), and the change in standard of living on a single income (especially coming from a postdoc) was barely noticeable when we did it. Assuming the other half is amenable to a period of stay-at-home parenting, it allows them to take a more leisurely approach to building a network (not that hard if you're sociable with your new colleagues) and look for the right fit in a new position.

      No easy solutions, but that worked for us. YMMV.

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    6. As a second body to a new TT PUI professor, it is hard. I got a temporary (and part-time) position as a lecturer/VAP, but that is running out soon, and local opportunities are scarce. I am not as gung-ho on an academic position as my spouse, but given the environment, it is hard to get anything else. I did apply to a few nearby positions but without much luck. It may be time to career switch outside academia, possibly to something like consulting or working for a journal. As 10:05 said, YMMV.

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  56. Anyone hear anything from Temple for organ asis prof position afer the phone interview which is long time ago?

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    1. Temple scheduled their on-sites a while ago.

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  57. Anybody who has gone through this before (or CJ): Is it acceptable or taboo to email the search chair and ask about your status? Specifically after on-site visits when it has been several weeks after the last scheduled interview. Could this hurt you in some way or is it fair to ask?

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    1. You can ask for your CV update and ask at the same time about the progress. But, just asking status is not recommended.

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    2. @ 9:43 Why is it not recommended? I think it's fine to ask.

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    3. I only asked for a status update if I had a status update. When I got an offer elsewhere, I emailed to inform the department chairs of places I interviewed with but had not yet heard from.

      You risk annoying whoever it is you're messaging because you can pretty easily deduce your standing.

      If you interviewed on campus and have not heard back fro several weeks after the last scheduled interview, you are not the first to get an offer but there is a small chance you could receive one later. This is information that will not likely be shared with you unless you receive an offer elsewhere and let them know.

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  58. @ 9:43 Why is it not recommended? I think it's fine to ask.

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