Have a great weekend

Well, this has been a chill week heading into next week, which will not. I hope that you had a great week and that you have a wonderful weekend. See you on Monday. 

C&EN: "Sorry, it’s a scam—what to look out for in your job search"

Via C&EN and ACS Careers, a depressingly on-topic article: 

The job market is a strange place right now: low hire rates, low turnover, artificial intelligence, global instability, and other factors have combined to make it difficult for job seekers (and even for employers). In addition, the number and type of scams are increasing at an alarming rate. Job seekers can get desperate, leading them to be not as careful as they should be, sometimes with unfortunate results. 

The article goes onto describe a couple of the classic ones, including paying in advance and also fake recruiters. I sure get a lot of fake recruiters on LinkedIn, telling them my extraordinarily boring LinkedIn page makes them really interested in my background. I am not exactly the world's biggest fan of regulation, but I think that it's time for Congress to get involved. 

Job posting: Bulk Chemist, L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, Somerset, NJ

Via Indeed, this position: 

Evaluating and provide color adjustment direction to cosmetic and OTC products, performing physio-chemical bulk testing, and conduct pilot batching to develop adjustments for industrial scale formulas. 

Required Qualifications:

• BS or BA in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related science.
• 1-3 years of experience in color cosmetic with an emphasis in emulsions and/or foundation products. 
• Visual color matching experience.
• Pass color evaluation test. 

Base Pay Range: $65,400-91,500(The actual compensation will depend on a variety of job-related factors which may include shift differential, geographic location, work experience, education, and skill level)

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Houston Chronicle: "Deer Park shelter-in-place lifted following chemical release at Lubrizol plant"

Via the Houston Chronicle, this news: 

A shelter-in-place for the city of Deer Park that stemmed from a release of hydrogen sulfide was lifted late Tuesday, authorities said.

About 6:50 p.m., the Deer Park Police Department posted on social media that the city was monitoring a Level 3 incident at Lubrizol Deer Park, a facility that manufactures specialty chemicals and additives. According to the company's website, its plant in Deer Park is the "the world's largest additives plant." A shelter-in-place was subsequently implemented for the city.

By 10 p.m., Deer Park authorities said Lubrizol had de-escalated the incident to Level 2 after confirming the released chemical was generated when phosphorus pentasulfide came into contact with water.

It's relatively rare there is pretty specific data about what chemical was released and why. A phosphorus pentasulfide/water reaction would do it!

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 355 research/teaching positions and 50 teaching positions

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 355 research/teaching positions and 50 teaching positions.

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

On November 11, 2025, the 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 300 research/teaching positions and 38 teaching positions. On November 12, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 408 research/teaching positions and 54 teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here is the first open thread. 

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

Are you having problems accessing the Google Sheet because of a Google Documents error? Email me at chemjobber@gmail.com and I will send you an Excel download of the latest sheet. 

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 91 research/teaching positions and 6 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Todd N. Whittaker) has 91 research/teaching positions and 6 teaching positions. 

Want to chat? Go to the open thread.   

C&EN: "How the CIA tried to use chemistry to kill Castro—and why it failed"

This was unexpectedly fascinating (by Anirban Mukhopadhyay)

This August marked what would have been the 100th birthday of Fidel Castro. But while the Cuban leader ultimately died of natural causes in November 2016, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) spent decades trying to cut his life short.

As president of Cuba, Castro was instantly recognizable: the fatigues, the beard, and the improbable political longevity. For much of the world, he became shorthand for revolution and defiance. For Washington, DC, he was something more specific and more worrying—a destabilizing adversary parked 145 km from Florida whose continued survival felt like a standing provocation.

That anxiety runs through a 1967 internal investigation by CIA inspector general John S. Earman, which the George Washington University’s National Security Archive posted online in October 2025. The report details CIA plots to murder, sicken, or discredit Castro. Some relied on chemistry rather than guns or coups, including cigars laced with botulinum toxin, depilatory agents meant to make his beard fall out, and psychoactive compounds intended to derail a public appearance.

Definitely read the whole thing. 

Have a great weekend

Well, this week is a bit of a culmination of everything. I hope that everyone had a great week and that you have a more restful weekend than I likely will. We'll see you on Monday.  

Reuters: "AI chip demand powers third-quarter growth at chemical, industrial gas makers"

Via Reuters, this news: 

Nov 5 (Reuters) - The artificial intelligence boom is helping drive demand for European chemical and ​industrial gas companies, as semiconductor manufacturers expand production capacity to ‌meet surging demand for AI chips.

Belgian specialty chemicals company Syensqo beat third-quarter expectations on Thursday as demand from semiconductor manufacturers continued to support its materials business.

"We'll probably ​see a 25% second-half improvement in our sales in semiconductors ​over the first half," CEO Mike Radossich told journalists.

Industrial gas ⁠groups Linde and Air Liquide also reported forecast-beating third-quarter results last week, helped by ​double-digit sales growth in electronics businesses that supply semiconductor manufacturers.

AI demand has ​become the chip industry's main growth engine, driving a fresh wave of semiconductor investment as AI servers require far more silicon than traditional computing infrastructure.

Air Liquide said its ​electronics investments nearly doubled in the first nine months of 2026 compared ​with all of 2025 as it increased spending on projects tied to semiconductor manufacturing. ‌In ⁠August, the company agreed to buy South Korea's DIG Airgas for 2.85 billion euros.

It honestly makes sense that the AI industry has been driving semiconductor manufacturer growth, but I guess I had not considered the impact on chemical manufacturers that work on electronics as well. I'm at least glad to see some good news for Europe's beleaguered chemical industry. 

Job posting: Metrology R&D Chemist, FUJIFILM Electronic Materials, Mesa, AZ

Via a Google search for "chemist job Arizona", this position: 

FUJIFILM Electronic Materials, U.S.A., Inc.,  is a global leader in chemical solutions which enable the semiconductor industry and the digital universe. We have an exciting opportunity at our Mesa, Arizona facility for a Metrology R&D Chemist!

With state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe, Taiwan, China, Korea and Japan, local sales offices throughout the world and on-site applications support, FUJIFILM Electronic Materials supplies the world's top tier semiconductor manufacturers with a broad array of products and services used throughout the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The Role 

The Metrology R&D Chemist will develop and implement new advanced QC metrologies and provide technical support during internal and external taskforce activities. Additional duties include supporting new product development, AMLC material characterization, and support the production QC team to advance overall metrology and quality systems processes.

Requirements

• The position requires a BA/BS in a Chemical related or other Physical Science discipline. 
• 1-2 years of experience in the semiconductor field or in a R&D/production laboratory environment 
• Candidates possessing a PhD will be considered with less experience. 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Cute story for a Wednesday

Via a Google News search for "chemistry", this cute Boston Globe piece: 

Annie and Piers met as undergrads in an organic chemistry lab at BU. There was chemistry.

Growing up in Thousand Oaks, California, Annie Heyman knew from an early age that she wanted to be a doctor. Across the country, in Duxbury, medicine was in Piers Klein’s future as well. Those ambitions brought them to Boston University as undergraduates, and, on February 22, 2018, to the Metcalf Science Center for the same organic chemistry laboratory.

Annie’s roommate was in a lab group with Piers; she introduced them during class. The group was getting dinner in the Fenway that night. Annie went along. “There were a few of us there, but I was very drawn to Piers,” says Annie, who was 19 at the time. “I thought he was handsome and interesting — there was so much more that I wanted to learn about him,” she says.

Best wishes to the happy couple. Have a great Wednesday. 

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 338 research/teaching positions and 46 teaching positions

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 338 research/teaching positions and 46 teaching positions.

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

On November X, 2025, the 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 290 research/teaching positions and 34 teaching positions. On November X, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 396 research/teaching positions and 45 teaching positions. 

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? Here is the first open thread. 

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

Are you having problems accessing the Google Sheet because of a Google Documents error? Email me at chemjobber@gmail.com and I will send you an Excel download of the latest sheet. 

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 90 research/teaching positions and 6 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Todd N. Whittaker) has 90 research/teaching positions and 6 teaching positions. 

Want to chat? Go to the open thread.   

New York Fed: the unemployment rate for recent chemistry graduates was 4.2% in 2024

Via Forbes, these interesting factlets from the New York Fed. 

The unemployment and underemployment rates for recent college graduates in chemistry was 4.3% and 42.8%. By contrast, the same rates for chemical engineering graduates was 4.7% and 17.9%. Median early career wages were $50,000 and $85,000 respectively. 

It'd be interesting to see those numbers for 2026. I bet they're higher, purely based on vibes. Love to know if I'm correct.