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.

NYT: "Pay for Lawyers is So High People Are Comparing It to the N.B.A."

Via the New York Times: 

Hotshot Wall Street lawyers are now so in demand that bidding wars between firms for their services can resemble the frenzy among teams to sign star athletes.

Eight-figure pay packages — rare a decade ago — are increasingly common for corporate lawyers at the top of their game, and many of these new heavy hitters have one thing in common: private equity...

...Lawyers have earned multimillion-dollar pay packages for more than a decade. When Scott A. Barshay, one of the industry’s pre-eminent mergers-and-acquisitions lawyers, left Cravath, Swaine & Moore to join Paul, Weiss in 2016, his pay package of $9.5 million created a stir in the industry. (Mr. Barshay’s compensation has risen significantly since then, two people with knowledge of the contract said.)

But the recent jump in pay has happened at a dizzying pace and for many more lawyers. Coupled with the fierce poaching, it is swiftly reshaping the economics of major law firms. Kirkland has even guaranteed some hires fixed shares in the partnership for several years, according to several people with knowledge of the contracts. In some instances, it has extended forgivable loans as sweeteners.

I think it is relatively rare to hear about million-dollar type packages for academic chemists, and I presume that very senior pharma managers might make high-six-figure/low million salaries. I'm guessing none of them make $20,000,000/year, but I'm guessing that those chemists are also not generating tens of millions of dollars of fees either. Towards a day of million-dollar chemist salaries, I guess. 

C&EN: EV tires wear faster than normal ones

 Via Chemical and Engineering News, this really cool article on EV tire wear (article by Alex Tullo): 

...It turns out that the connection is strong. Issues of weight, torque, and lack of coasting mean that tires on EVs are subject to more stress than the ones on gasoline-powered vehicles and wear out sooner. In response, tire makers and suppliers of polymers and other ingredients are developing new elastomers and introducing new materials so that tire wear doesn’t become a drawback to EV ownership.

One reason for wear is gravity. Because of those bulky batteries, EVs are heavier than conventional cars. For example, a gasoline-powered Toyota Camry weighs 1,500 kg; a Tesla Model 3 comes in at 1,800 kg.

Another is torque. As anyone who has seen videos of Teslas beating Lamborghinis in drag races knows, electric motors apply more force to the wheels than conventional cars do.

And finally, explains Dale Harrigle, chief engineer for consumer replacement tires at Bridgestone Americas, EVs don’t coast—or roll freely—like conventional cars do. Force is almost always being applied to the wheels, either through the car’s electric motors or its regenerative braking system.

“So there’s very little coasting that occurs in an electric vehicle, and that’s part of the reason why the wear life is reduced,” Harrigle says. Between the weight, torque, and lack of coasting, tires on an EV wear 20–30% faster than they would on a conventional car, he estimates....

I love these kinds of articles in C&EN that explain a pretty common yet undercovered aspect of life and chemistry. Read the whole thing! 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 17 research/teaching positions and 2 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 17 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 3, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 17 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. 

Supplement formulators are experimenting with new carbs

Also in this week's C&EN, this cool article (article by Robin Dooovan)

Triathlete Gwen Jorgensen fueled her 2016 Olympic gold with Red Bull, a potent, fizzy mix of sugar, taurine, and caffeine that tastes a bit like cherry cough syrup. Perhaps surprising to non-Olympians, sugar is the most important fuel in that concoction. Athletes rely on carbohydrates, often in the form of sugars, to provide energy and prevent them from “bonking”—or hitting a wall of exhaustion. Glucose is the body’s primary energy source, so athletes look for drinks and gels that will impart a lot of this simple sugar.

Red Bull provides simple sugars like sucrose, which contains a single unit each of glucose and fructose. While that was enough to power Jorgensen to an Olympic medal, she later switched from triathlon to running full time, and longer run sessions meant she needed even more mid-workout carbs. Simply gulping down sweet drinks made Jorgensen’s stomach cramp—she needed something that would give her more glucose without upping the concentration of sugary carbs she was taking in.

It is really fascinating to read about the various chemicals that go into supplements - it makes sense that the highly branched cyclic dextrins take longer to metabolize, but I am genuinely curious about their bioavailability over time. (Isn't this something that could be pretty straightforwardly tested in a lab somewhere?) 

C&EN: "US trade group sees chemical growth"

In this week's C&EN, this good news (article by Alexander H. Tullo): 

On the back of a US economy on “solid footing,” the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a trade group, expects the US chemical sector to post upbeat results in 2024 and 2025. After a 1.3% decline in 2023 due largely to inventory destocking, the ACC forecasts that chemical output volumes will rise by 2.2% in 2024 and 1.9% in 2025. The group expects economic growth of 2.4% this year and 1.7% in 2025 as inflation calms and recession fears ebb. “Looking ahead, the U.S. economy will drive up demand across many key chemistry end-use industries, which should tee up a healthy increase in chemical output,” Martha Moore, ACC’s chief economist, says in the report. The council expects US automotive sales to increase slightly, to 15.7 million units, in 2024 and to 16.3 million units next year. It also says that, despite higher borrowing costs, demand for new homes in the US will maintain housing starts at 1.4 million units.

Here's hoping this will be good news for the employment market. 

Have a great weekend

Well, this was a pretty chill week, and I'm not going to complain. Good news all around (as of yet). I hope you have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Monday. 

Decoupling China, going with India?

Via the New York Times: 

Melissa & Doug had a situation. For decades, the American toy brand had leaned heavily on factories in China to make its products — wooden puzzles, stuffed animals, play mats. Suddenly, that course looked risky.

It was February 2021, and the world was besieged by a pandemic. Lockdowns disrupted Chinese factories. Trade hostilities between Washington and Beijing were undermining the benefits of depending on plants in China. President Donald J. Trump had slapped tariffs on a broad variety of Chinese imports, increasing their prices, and President Biden extended that policy.

Melissa & Doug was eager to shift some production to other countries. Which explained the arrival of its chief supply chain officer at a factory in Greater Noida, a fast-growing city about 30 miles southeast of the Indian capital, New Delhi.

The factory was owned by a family business called Sunlord. The Melissa & Doug executive was surprised to see that the plant could make high-quality wooden toys, at prices comparable to those in China. Late last year, Sunlord completed its first batch of products for Melissa & Doug, a modest order of about 10,000 items, and now is cranking out 25,000 per month.

I presuming that consumer firms like Melissa and Doug and WalMart are simply diversifying their supplier base. It will be interesting to see if the Indian and South Korean pharma manufacturing markets grow as the BIOSECURE Act is actually passed (if it indeed is passed.) 

Job posting: medicinal chemist, BMS, San Diego, CA

From the inbox:

Our Medicinal Chemistry team is looking for a Scientist to join our team in San Diego, California. Around the world, we are passionate about making an impact on the lives of patients with serious disease. Empowered to apply our individual talents and ideas so that we can learn and grow together.  Driven to make a difference, from innovative research to hands-on community support.  Bristol-Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives.

Day to Day Duties Include:  

Individual will be responsible for the design and synthesis of new agents for the potential treatment of human diseases with emphasis in Cardiovascular, Fibrosis, Immunology, and Oncology disease areas.

The individual will apply modern techniques in organic chemistry and utilize current medicinal chemistry practices to solve problems of relevance to the assigned project and therapeutic area.

Basic Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s Degree and 5+ years of academic / industry experience, or
• Master’s degree and 3+ years of academic / industry experience, or
• PhD in Chemistry or Organic Chemistry 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• A Ph.D. in organic chemistry with 0-2 years of additional related research experience.
• Candidates must have experience in designing and executing multistep synthesis of complex organic molecules using modern techniques in organic chemistry.
• Candidates will have expertise in the purification and characterization of organic compounds (Chromatography and NMR, MS, IR spectroscopy).
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a thorough understanding of synthetic methods and reaction mechanisms are required.
• Good oral/written communication skills and a desire to work in a collaborative team environment are required.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

NTSB: The East Palestine/Norfolk Southern vinyl chloride burn was not necessary

Via the Washington Post, this news: 

Norfolk Southern and its contractors overestimated the risk that five train cars could explode after the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment last year, leading to the unnecessary release and burn of chemicals, the National Transportation Safety Board found Tuesday at its final meeting on the incident.

The railway’s failure to quickly provide information to emergency responders after the derailment also unnecessarily exposed the public to hazards, the board found. In addition, chemical shippers’ use of a vulnerable model of train car that was punctured and spilled chemicals after derailing led to the fire that dramatically escalated the situation.

Tuesday’s meeting — where the NTSB approved the findings of its 17-month investigation into the Feb. 3, 2023 derailment — offered the most authoritative timeline yet of the decisions that caused a giant toxic plume to rise above the Ohio town in early 2023, which prompted alarm about environmental hazards and triggered a national debate about rail safety.

I'm genuinely sympathetic to the people who made the decision on the spot with first responders: 

...The push for vent-and-burn by Norfolk Southern and its contractors, however, disregarded the fact that the temperature in the car of concern began dropping, which should have signaled that the danger was waning, the board said.

Norfolk Southern also failed to provide the local fire chief and other officials with a key report from the chemicals’ manufacturer, who had inspected the train cars and determined that the probability of the worst-case scenario was low, investigators found. With incomplete information from Norfolk Southern, the NTSB said, local and state officials had only 13 minutes to decide whether to give the go-ahead.

...The crew was notified when the train passed a second detector, but they couldn’t stop the train in time to prevent derailing. After the cars went off the tracks, a punctured car spilled flammable butyl acrylate, which started a fire that spread more than 1,000 feet. That model of train car, the NTSB found, is being phased out for such use and won’t be eligible to carry butyl acrylate after May 2029... 

As I've said before, I think second-guessing the decisions of the people on the scene needed to wait for the NTSB report. Now that we're close to the issuance of the report, we can potentially begin to think about what first responders should do in the future, and what lessons can be learned. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 10 research/teaching positions and 1 teaching position

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 10 research/teaching positions and 1 teaching position. 

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 June 27, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 15 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.  

Have a great weekend

Well, it's been a good week, but a long one. Here's hoping I can get done what I need to get done. I hope you had a productive week, and that you have a warm and sunny (but not too hot!) weekend. See you on Monday! 

I'm still skeptical about the 'hidden job market'

Very recently, I ran across another one of the repeated statistics that some majority of job openings are not actually posted. We've covered this before here (it's hard to believe it's almost been 10 years.) I'm rather fond of debunking these kinds of numbers, i.e. their baloney-ness stands out to me, and it is personally amazing to me that people choose to quote them.

I was really delighted to discover that I am not the only skeptic, and so today I point to Jesse Preston, a disability employment specialist who wrote up a very nice article on LinkedIn describing the origins of some of these numbers: 

The Ford Foundation-funded survey he is referring to is the pilot project conducted by the National Industrial Conference Board to gather labour market information from businesses which was done in Rochester NY. The results of which came out in the same year. 

We know this is the original survey of that statistic as this is the pilot project and literature from the "1965 Proceedings on Interstate Conference on Labour Statistics", which states that this survey is of great interest before launching a nationwide survey.  Up to this point, there has never been data collected directly from employers like this. 

In the report, they tested to see if job postings were a predictable metric for collecting labour market information. It was not. Their analysis shows that 25.1% of all the jobs hired by 27 companies surveyed appeared in the newspaper. Service jobs were the largest category within the 25.1% at 84.6% of the total service jobs hired were posted in the newspaper.

But if we consider that Mr. Haldane is only talking about career-type roles and not jobs in general, then we do not count the overall number of 25.1%. So, we must remove the service jobs and the unskilled labour roles.  Then you get 18.9% of jobs advertised in the newspaper. Therefore about 80% are not advertised in the Rochester Newspaper.

It is rather remarkable to me (and he is to be commended) that Mr. Preston actually tracked it down to a study from 1966 about the Rochester job market. I would have guessed it was manufactured out of whole cloth, but no, apparently not. 

Almost ten years later, I know that it's basically futile to either expurgate the internet (or people) of poorly sourced and dubious statistics or quantify the unquantifiable, but I am still very skeptical that we should refer to a "hidden" job market. I also am further skeptical that the 'hidden' market represents the majority of positions at any one time. 

I do find it reasonable that mid-career professionals are likelier to be able to access such "hidden" positions, i.e. if you have a unique skill set, it's likelier that organizations will make room for you in some fashion, but I think that talking about 'hidden job markets' for entry-level people is just more likely to give students and postdocs conspiratorial vibes more than anything else. 

Job posting: Chemist, Food and Drug, Keller and Heckman LLP, Washington, DC

Via C&EN Jobs: 

Keller and Heckman, an international law firm in Washington, D.C., is in need of a Chemist to work closely with our attorneys, other staff scientists, and clients to assess health and safety considerations related to various chemical products intended for use in food, drugs, medical devices, and related applications. Responsibilities include assessing the chemical make-up of products to be used in assessing the regulatory status of federally regulated products, advising clients on data needed to support such assessments, designing study protocols to generate needed data, and assisting in the preparation of submissions and dossiers to regulatory agencies in the United States (such as FDA, EPA, and OSHA) and their sister agencies throughout the world. This is not an intellectual property position, nor a laboratory position.

The ideal candidate will be able to interpret complex analytical data and have a strong proficiency in mathematics. Expertise in any area of non-theoretical chemistry will be considered, though 5+ years of experience in polymer, organic, or analytical chemistry is a plus. A background in the food, chemical, or packaging industry, and experience with FDA regulations, is also helpful. The candidate should be able to multi-task, work effectively with others, communicate clearly, and be a team player. Graduate Degree in Chemistry is required; Ph.D. is preferred but not required.

We offer a salary commensurate with experience, bonus plan, and excellent benefit package.

Send resume and cover letter to Jennifer Ireland, Human Resources and Recruitment Manager, Keller and Heckman LLP, 1001 G Street, NW, Suite 500 West, Washington, D.C. 20001 to careers@khlaw.com. 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

C&EN: "The chemist who stayed in Gaza"

Via C&EN, this profile by Laurel Oldach: 

Last month, while most of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip was preparing to flee the southern city of Rafah, Rami Morjan was planning to go there.

The city, which for a time had been a humanitarian safe zone, was refuge for an estimated 1.2 million people. But in late April, the Israeli army announced plans to enter Rafah, a move it said was critical to destroying Hamas. It was a dangerous place for civilians. But Morjan had family there who could not leave: his sister and her family, including a niece and her newborn baby.

Morjan, an organic chemist at the Islamic University of Gaza, is used to facing overwhelming odds. He built a chemistry research program despite lacking tools for chemical analysis and then rebuilt it after his laboratory was bombed a decade ago. In May, even after having endured 7 months of war, he came across in text conversations with C&EN as lighthearted, peppering chats with the “face with tears of joy” emoji.

He aims to rebuild the academic community—especially the chemistry community—in Gaza after the war. But first, he must survive it.

Best wishes to Professor Morjan and his family. Read the whole article here. 

This article is a classic example of the excellent and thorough journalism about chemistry and chemists that I've come to expect in Chemical and Engineering News. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 9 research/teaching positions and 1 teaching position

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 9 research/teaching positions and 1 teaching position. 

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 June 20, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 14 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: Assistant/Associate Professor of Chemistry, Grambling State University, Grambling, LA

Via HigherEdJobs, a position at Grambling State University: 

Job Summary

The Assistant/Associate Professor is required to instruct lower and upper level Chemistry courses. Instructional duties for lower and upper level lecture and laboratory courses as assigned. Academic advisement of students, committee assignments, direct students in research, form cooperative partnerships with neighboring units.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Teach undergraduate lower and upper level chemistry courses as specified by the Department Head 
• Participate in scholarly activities and professional development opportunities 
• Advise Chemistry majors/conduct undergraduate research 
• Serve on departmental and university-wide committees 
• Recruit students for the department 
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Department Head/Dean 

Qualifications - Minimum: 

• Chemistry Ph.D. degree is required with experience in higher education 
• Experience teaching Organic Chemistry 
• Candidate must have the Academic Credentials and Training needed to support teaching Organic and Advanced Organic Chemistry courses.

Preferred: 

• Applicant should have experience with Chemistry Laboratory operations and requirements, software applications and experience with BANNER, Moodle, and Canvas. 
• Applicant must have a demonstrated knowledge of Chemistry Subject Material, exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, and a knowledge of computational techniques in Chemistry. 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

NYT: "F.A.A. Investigating How Questionable Titanium Got Into Boeing and Airbus Jets"

Via the New York Times, this unfortunate quality assurance news: 

...The problem illustrates the complex global supply chain used in producing modern jetliners, and the story of what appears to have gone wrong involves companies in China, Italy, Turkey and the United States.

The issue appears to date to 2019 when a Turkish material supplier, Turkish Aerospace Industries, purchased a batch of titanium from a supplier in China, according to the people familiar with the issue. The Turkish company then sold that titanium to several companies that make aircraft parts, and those parts made their way to Spirit, which used them in Boeing and Airbus planes.

In December 2023, an Italian company that bought the titanium from Turkish Aerospace Industries noticed that the material looked different from what the company typically received. The company, Titanium International Group, also found that the certificates that came with the titanium seemed inauthentic.

Turkish Aerospace Industries did not respond to a request for a comment.

Spirit began investigating the matter, and the company notified Boeing and Airbus in January that it could not verify the source of the titanium used to make certain parts. Titanium International Group told Spirit that when it bought the material in 2019, it had no clue that the paperwork had been forged, according to Spirit officials...

...Spirit officials said they had started testing titanium parts to make sure aviation-grade material was used. The company is testing components that are still in stock and that are on undelivered fuselages.

So far, Spirit’s testing has confirmed that the titanium is the appropriate grade for airplane manufacturers. But the company has been unable to confirm that the titanium was treated through the approved airplane manufacturing process. The material passed some of the materials testing performed on it but failed others.

It's always weird to me that companies who work with materials don't perform standard (for a chemist, anyway) identity and purity testing. Can't imagine the pressure there is on QC/QA to approve suppliers to keep manufacturing lines open as well. 

C&EN: "What happens to old scientific instruments?"

In this week's Chemical and Engineering News, this rather wonderful article by Laurel Oldach: 

Ian Lightcap had a problem. The core facility director at the University of Notre Dame had a lot of aging equipment on his hands and a plan to upgrade it—but no plan for what to do with the old instruments after the new ones came in.

Take a high-resolution X-ray diffractometer, used for characterization of new crystalline materials, for example. When it was purchased in 2016, it was worth $275,000. But now, with its optical alignment and therefore its accuracy slipping, it was taking up space that Lightcap needed for a newer, more accurate model.

But the university didn’t want the older machine to end up in a landfill. The instrument had been a big capital investment. Surely it still had value to someone—somewhere. Didn’t it?

This is a really fun article, and something that covers an important secondary market (scientific equipment.) 

Have a great weekend

Well, this has been kind of a nutty week, but we're getting it done. I am looking forward to my weekend. I hope that you had a calmer week than I, and that you have a great weekend. See you on Monday. 

C&EN: "Charles Lieber plans talks with the University of Hong Kong"

Via C&EN's Bethany Halford, this unusual news: 

Charles Lieber, a renowned chemist formerly of Harvard University, was convicted in 2021 of making false statements related to his work with a university in China. He is now exploring a job in the country.

According to documents filed by a probation officer, Lieber asked for permission to travel to China for 6 days in July “to discuss potential faculty appointment and employment opportunities at the University of Hong Kong, and to deliver a scientific talk to the faculty and students.” Lieber retired from his position at Harvard in February 2023.

The case against Lieber began in January 2020, when the US government charged him with fraud for making false statements about his ties to China’s Thousand Talents Program to investigators from the US National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense—agencies that funded Lieber’s research.

Full article here. I genuinely don't know what to think about all of this, other than to note that Fraser Stoddart is also at the University of Hong Kong, and so they clearly have a goal of hiring prominent chemists. Here's hoping it works out, I guess. 

Job posting: Senior Chemist, Land O'Lakes, Inc, River Falls, WI

Via C&EN Jobs, this position: 

• Position is responsible for the management of the pilot lab at River Falls, WI, this role is an individual contributor
• Position is an integral part of the By Winfield United Process serving as the conduit between pilot scale and full scale production
• Position responsible for supporting diverse groups within Winfield Solutions
• Maintenance of product performance is crucial to maintaining market share through customer satisfaction and quality.  Implementation of innovation will ensure growth in this business

Posted salary: "$128,100 per year + benefits"

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 4 research/teaching positions and 1 teaching position

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 4 research/teaching positions and 1 teaching position. 

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 June 13, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 11 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: visiting assistant professor, Department of Chemistry, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

From the inbox: 

The Department of Chemistry at St. Olaf College invites applications for multiple full-time, one-year positions in Chemistry at the Visiting Assistant Professor level to begin August 2024. These positions will involve teaching in the general chemistry program and could also include teaching advanced chemistry courses depending on applicant interest and department need.

Applicants should be interested in teaching at a liberal arts institution and have a Ph.D. in chemistry or a relevant field or expect completion of such prior to employment.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Job posting: Research Assistant (Biotech and Additive Manufacturing), United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD

From the inbox: 

The Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department (collaborating with the Chemistry Department) invites applications for a Research Assistant position to begin as early as August of 2024 to assist with faculty and student research beginning the fall semester of 2024. USNA is a service academy and top tier liberal arts college with a demonstrated commitment to excellence in technical training and research. Candidates should have a strong commitment leading and producing high-quality peer-reviewed research while supporting undergraduate learning objectives. 

Research Assistant will support biotechnology research at USNA investigating poly[(R)-3-hydroxyalkanoates] (PHAs) as polymer matrices for additive manufacturing. The role will primarily coordinate activities in a bioreactor laboratory and additive manufacturing laboratory. These activities will include collaboration with midshipmen and professors at USNA and collaboration with other DoD and industry partners. Daily duties will involve work in an operating research laboratory primarily operating a microbial bioreactor and additive manufacturing equipment. Laboratory experiments will involve tightly integrated collaboration and teamwork with both students, lab technicians, and faculty at USNA. 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

C&EN: "Settlement reached in Ohio train derailment case"

In this week's Chemical and Engineering News, this news (article by Priyanka Runwal): 

A $310 million settlement between the US and Norfolk Southern—the company responsible for the Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio—is a step in the right direction but still contains gaps, residents and activists say.

The settlement, announced May 23 by the US Department of Justice and the US Environmental Protection Agency, follows a March 31, 2023, complaint filed by the federal agencies against Norfolk Southern for unlawful discharge of pollutants, oil, and hazardous substances into the air, water, and soil.

Eleven cars of the train were carrying hazardous materials that spilled and fueled a large fire. In a controversial move, authorities released and burned vinyl chloride, a highly flammable carcinogen used for making polyvinyl chloride that was present in five of the cars. Many residents who were evacuated reported feeling sick after returning to their homes, while local waterways displayed rainbow sheens and dead fish.

The settlement, if approved by the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, would require Norfolk Southern to pay for long-term environmental and health monitoring and mental health services for the community. It would also pay a civil penalty and support improved safety measures for transporting hazardous materials via rail.

It's genuinely surprising to me that it is just $310 million, although I suspect this is not the sum total of the amount of money Norfolk Southern will end up paying out. 

Have a great weekend

Well, this has been a pretty good week overall. No complaints, and had a great time in Winnipeg. I hope that you had a good week (possibly in Winnipeg!) and that you have a wonderful, sunny weekend. 

C&EN: "Drought in Mexico shuts chemical plants"

Via C&EN, this bad news out of Mexico (by Alexander H. Tullo): 

Mexico’s worst drought in more than a decade is beginning to waylay chemical production as authorities divert water from industrial consumers to local communities.

Heeding a government request to reduce water intake, Chemours paused titanium dioxide production in Altamira, in the state of Tamaulipas on Mexico’s east coast. In a statement, the company says it cannot predict the duration of the shutdown but says it is “working closely with government, business, and community partners to identify and implement short- and long-term solutions.”

Ineos Styrolution, which operates one of North America’s largest polystyrene and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) sites in Altamira, says it declared force majeure after authorities reduced water supply to the facility.

Styrolution says some of its production lines are operating but at lower rates than usual. The firm is also serving local markets through imports from its overseas facilities.

Sabic makes ABS, polycarbonate, and other plastics in nearby Tampico. “The local commission on drinking water and sewage issued a letter communicating it is no longer able to pump water to the local water system, which directly impacts industries in the Altamira region,” Sabic says in a statement. As a result, the company is proceeding with a temporary shutdown of the Tampico site.

Full article here. Here is hoping for the best for the workers of these plants. 

Job posting: investigator, medicinal chemistry, GSK, Upper Providence, PA

Via Twitter: 

We are currently looking for highly motivated organic chemists to join our Medicinal Chemistry team (including but not limited to: discovery, high-throughput, and modality agnostic chemistry) at our Upper Providence, PA site. Our department partners with program teams across GSK’s research units to deliver high quality small molecules, from hit generation through late-stage lead optimization to address increasingly complex disease areas.

The purpose of the role is to provide a high level of scientific and technical contributions to projects within the Medicinal Chemistry portfolio (including but not limited to: small molecules, PROTACs, degraders, oligonucleotides, covalents, and antibody-drug conjugates) with a primary responsibility of driving efficiencies applying novel synthetic methods and techniques to design, synthesize, and purify candidate molecules.

The successful applicant will become fluent in all areas of medicinal chemistry while working as part of a highly productive team to design and synthesize developable drug molecules.  The role involves, to differing degrees, medicinal chemistry, data analytics, designing compounds to test medicinal chemistry hypotheses, synthetic organic chemistry to support both medicinal chemistry and/or candidate selection and championing technological advances. 

The successful candidate will work collaboratively across teams of synthetic chemists, analytical chemists, engineers, and data analytics experts to help invent these new processes and chemistries to solve impactful problems that will accelerate delivery of important medicinal advancements to patients. Successful candidates must be able to think creatively, champion the needs of the organization and work collaboratively within a team environment. 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Nitriding facility accident kills 1, injures 3 others

Via the Chattanooga Times Free Press (article by Ellen Gerst), this news: 

A worker at a Chattanooga facility died after a chemical fire, according to state officials.

Crews responded to TS USA, off Riverfront Parkway, on Thursday morning and found the worker and three others with burn injuries.

The worker was sent to a hospital with extensive burns, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department. He has not been identified.

The death occurred Thursday morning, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said.

"TOSHA sent an investigator to the facility to begin an inquiry that will determine the circumstances that led to the worker's death," spokesperson Chris Cannon said in an email.

The Chemical Safety Board has deployed on Tuesday, with this comment: 

Today the U.S. Chemical Safey and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it has deployed a team of chemical incident investigators to investigate the fatal fire that occurred last Thursday, May 30, at the TS USA liquid nitriding facility in downtown Chattanooga, TN.  One person died after suffering severe burns during the incident at the TS USA facility, which uses the nitriding process to harden the outer layer of metal parts. 

Four CSB investigators arrived on site at the TS USA facility today and have commenced investigative activities, including documentation of the incident site and interviews with facility employees.

My condolences to the victims and the family of the deceased. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 3 research/teaching positions and 1 teaching position

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 3 research/teaching positions and 1 teaching position. 

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 June 6, 2023, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 6 research/teaching positions.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? This will serve as the first open thread. 

Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread.  

Job posting: Visiting Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg, PA

From the inbox: 

East Stroudsburg University (ESU) invites applications for a one-year visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, specialty physical chemistry, beginning in August, 2024.  Responsibilities will include teaching general chemistry and physical chemistry and associated laboratories.  Teaching responsibilities may also include general education chemistry. The successful candidate will demonstrate effective teaching and enthusiasm for mentoring a diverse population of undergraduates.  A Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry or a closely related field must be completed prior to appointment; but highly qualified candidates with ABD status at the time of application will be considered.  Authoritative documentation supporting timely completion of the Ph.D. must be provided for ABD candidates. 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 557 research/teaching positions and 86 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) will conclude with 557 research/teaching positions and 86 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 May 30, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 628 research/teaching positions and 83 teaching-focused positions.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's the first open thread. Here's a link to the second, open thread. Here's a link to the current, third open thread. 

Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread.   

C&EN: "Dow presents rosy view of the future"

In this week's Chemical and Engineering News, this update on the status of Dow (article by Alex Tullo): 

While poor market conditions are getting many chemical industry managers down, the mood is upbeat at Dow. At a May 16 investor event, executives said they think the firm should be able to improve pre-tax earnings by more than $3 billion per year by the end of the decade. Many of the gains will come from its large low-carbon petrochemical project in Canada and through plastics recycling initiatives.

“It’s been 5 years since we spun out of DowDuPont. And I think if I could summarize the last 5 years, I feel like we’ve created a strong company with excellent operating discipline,” CEO Jim Fitterling told reporters before the event.

The company reported earnings before taxes of $5.4 billion in 2023.

The chemical industry is grappling with overcapacity after a frenzy of new plant construction in the US and Asia met with sluggish demand. Europe, which is among the highest-cost regions in which to make petrochemicals, has been hit particularly hard. Major players such as ExxonMobil and Sabic plan to close facilities in the region. And Dow competitor LyondellBasell Industries recently launched a review of its European operations...

I have a weird bias that "Dow doing well is good for US chemistry employment", but I sense that is probably 20 or 30 years old. Nevertheless, it's good that Fitterling thinks that good things are ahead for Dow. Here is hoping that he is right. 

Have a great weekend

So I happen to be traveling to Winnipeg this weekend (see you there!), so there's that. If you happen to be there at CSC 2024, please do stop by and say hello! I hope that you had a good week, and that you have a wonderful weekend. See you on Monday. 

C&EN: "Asymchem to operate former Pfizer plant in Europe"

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

Making its entry into Europe, the Chinese pharmaceutical services firm Asymchem will take over as the operator of the former Pfizer small-molecule pilot plant in Sandwich, England. The company will also run a part of the development laboratories that will open in June. The site will include facilities for peptides and oligonucleotides and continuous flow and biocatalysis capabilities; it will house about 100 workers, including those previously employed by Pfizer. In 2022, Asymchem’s effort to acquire the US drug services firm Snapdragon Chemistry was rejected by the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the US.

It is deeply weird to me that Pfizer decided to close the Sandwich site, but if I knew why Pfizer picked its sites for closure, I guess I would be in a different business. But I guess that Asymchem is finding value where Pfizer did not.  

Job posting: Agrochemical Division Program Administrator, ACS

Via C&EN Jobs

This position is ideal for individuals who are organized, proactive, and capable of balancing independent work with team collaboration. The Program Administrator for the Division of Agrochemicals (AGRO), part of the American Chemical Society (ACS), will play a crucial role in the successful execution of the division’s technical programs and support AGRO leadership in division operations and logistics.

Primary Responsibilities:

Support the ACS Agrochemical Division’s Technical Program by: Creating a collaborate relationship with ACS staff allowing AGRO leadership to stay informed on ACS divisional requirements.  Assist AGRO members on challenges with abstract submission to the program scheduling platform (MAPS). Attend ACS national meetings to: Assist with the welcome table in coordination with AGRO leadership and volunteers. Provide information to conference attendees. Coordinate logistics with ACS staff. Host social events. Coordinating shipping of items to and from conferences.

Support ACS AGRO Leadership in Operations and Logistics: Serve as the point of contact and assist the Program Chair for national meeting logistics, technical and non-technical (social) program scheduling, and abstract submission. Assist the AGRO Communications Committee in professional communications about AGRO activities that may include a quarterly newsletter. Educate volunteers on ACS regulations and procedures. Collaborate with AGRO leadership on projects (publications, events, membership drives, etc.). Manage and maintain spreadsheets, reports, records, and agreements. Provide clerical and informational support to the AGRO executive committee.

Required Qualifications:

Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat. Excellent customer service, and oral and written communication skills. Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, ensure quality, be flexible, plan proactively, and meet deadlines. Ability to work effectively in a diverse team-based environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with ACS or other scientific society planning processes.

Time Commitment:

Average of 300, but up to 400 hours per year, with peak times in March-May and July-August. Hourly compensation is dependent on experience.

Location and Travel:

Primarily a work-from-home position. Requires in-person attendance at one national ACS conference (6 days in August), quarterly virtual board meetings, periodic Zoom meetings, and occasional in-person meetings. Travel support provided for the national conference attendance.

Please send your interest by June 10, 2024, to Aaron Gross (adgross@vt.edu)

Best wishes to those interested. 

C&EN: Lilly to invest $5.3 billion for a Lebanon, IN plan

Via C&EN, this good news for American manufacturing (article by Aayushi Pratap):

To meet astronomical demand for its weight-loss and antidiabetes drugs, Eli Lilly and Company says it will double its investment at a drug active-ingredient manufacturing site now under construction in Lebanon, Indiana.

The company will inject an additional $5.3 billion, increasing its total investment in the site to $9 billion. The expansion will boost the production of tirzepatide, the peptide-based active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) used in Zepbound and Mounjaro, weight-loss and antidiabetes medicines that the US Food and Drug Administration approved in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Construction of the Indiana facility began in 2023. Lilly expects to start manufacturing at the site in 2026 and says it will increase production over the subsequent years. Once the facility is fully operational, it will employ 900 workers, including engineers, scientists, operating personnel, and lab technicians.

Since 2020, Lilly says, it has committed to spending $16 billion on new manufacturing sites in the US and Europe.

In a press release, Lilly CEO David A. Ricks says the overall project is “the largest manufacturing investment in our company’s history and, we believe, represents the single largest investment in synthetic medicine API manufacturing in US history.”

The investment comes as Lilly and Novo Nordisk, which manufactures the competing peptide-based drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, struggle to keep up with demand...

It will be really interesting to see what the site will look like eventually, but I could imagine 25-40ish chemists (of one stripe or another) at this site eventually? It will be interesting to see! 

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 557 research/teaching positions and 86 teaching positions

The 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 557 research/teaching positions and 86 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 May 30, 2023, the 2023 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 628 research/teaching positions and 83 teaching-focused positions.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here's the first open thread. Here's a link to the second, open thread. Here's a link to the current, third open thread. 

Don't forget to click on "load more" below the comment box for the full thread.  

Job posting: Instructor, Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

From the inbox, a position at Case Western Reserve: 

Invites applications for a non-tenure track faculty position at the rank of Instructor. Candidates must be committed to excellence in undergraduate teaching, mentoring, and service. A PhD in chemistry and experience teaching first-year and sophomore-level undergraduate chemistry courses with demonstrated excellence in teaching are required. The new Instructor will serve a dual role with a teaching load of one introductory course per semester and will serve as the Department’s Lab and Facilities Manager, combining laboratory administration and teaching to address the need for higher level instrumentation management, upgrades to undergraduate experiments and management of the increasing laboratory class sections offered by the department. Several duties will include the maintenance and upkeep of all instruments used in the organic/analytical/physical chemistry/bioanalytical lab courses, creating policy for computer and instrumentation services, overseeing data and software acquisitions, and safety compliance in various teaching and research laboratories. The instructor will train Teaching Assistants (TAs) and provide supervision and guidance to lab staff on laboratory equipment, preparation of reagents and supplies for our laboratory courses.  The position will also collaborate closely with chemistry faculty to update and develop experiments, ensuring that our curriculum remains at the forefront of chemical education. Additionally, the Instructor will collaborate with Biology faculty members on chemical safety and building safety concerns, fostering a culture of safety and cooperation within our academic community. The importance of this role cannot be overstated, as it directly impacts essential service and advanced laboratory classes offered within our department. 

The starting term of the position is Summer 2024. A letter of application, CV, diversity statement, summary of teaching experience, class evaluations, and three confidential letters of reference should be submitted at http://apply.interfolio.com/145166 by July 3, 2024. The diversity statement should address a) How your research, teaching, and/or service have contributed to diversity, equity and inclusion within your scholarly field(s) and/or how your individual and/or collaborative efforts have promoted structural justice inside and outside institutions of higher learning. This statement should also reflect on the ways in which the candidate’s continued efforts will foster a culture of diversity, pluralism, and individual difference at Case Western Reserve University into the future.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Memorial Day; back tomorrow

Sacramento Valley National Cemetery
Credit: Tech. Sgt. Daniel Peterson, 349th Air Mobility Wing 

Today is Memorial Day in the United States; it's a national holiday.

Back tomorrow.

Have a great weekend

Well, this has been a restful week, so I'm not going to complain. I hope that you had a great week, and that you have a great weekend. See you on Tuesday.