Have a great weekend

Well, I need to get more work done, but I think I will be able to manage it. I hope that you have a wonderful weekend, and we will see you on Monday. 

ACS takes down Inclusivity Style Guide for revision

Via Bluesky, the American Chemical Society worked on a very thorough style guide for inclusivity. The portions on “Gender and Sexuality” and on “Race, Ethnicity, and Sexuality” were apparently recently taken down. Here is the response from Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay, the senior vice president for Inclusion and Belonging when Kelly Sheppard of Skidmore College wrote in: 

Dear Dr. Sheppard,

Thank you for reaching out about the American Chemical Society's Inclusivity Style Guide.

As part of our work to develop a new strategic plan, ACS updated one of our core values to recognize inclusion and belonging for all people, as follows: "We create environments where people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences thrive."

This core value is at the heart of all ACS resources, including the Inclusivity Style Guide.

The updated core value reflects the long and transformative work ACS has done to create an inclusive environment where everyone belongs and flourishes. It builds on ACS' past work and prioritizes the ongoing achievement of certain goals, including attainment of full, authentic participation and fair treatment across all identities and experiences.

ACS remains fully committed to inclusion and belonging. We have not abandoned our core value; rather, we are refining our resources to ensure they remain impactful in current times.

We want to ensure that the guide continues be a useful and accurate tool for creating inclusive content and communications. To protect the integrity of the guide, we have paused specific sections for review and refinement, so they remain effective. Once this review is completed, we will repost the updated sections.

We understand the frustration, concern and hurt this has caused. We welcome constructive dialogue and input to ensure that our inclusivity resources meet the needs of our community. This guide is one tool in ACS' broader effort to foster inclusion.

We truly value your membership in ACS. Please let me know if you'd like to discuss this matter.

Best regards, Rajendrani (Raj) Mukhopadhyay

Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay (she/her) Senior Vice President, Inclusion and Belonging

It is both very weird and very emblematic of ACS that they would make these changes without really answering any questions about it (and pretending that it isn't about our current political climate.) I guess we'll see what the new sections look like when they come out, and then we can make further judgments. 

WB DVDs from the 2000s are malfunctioning?

Via Ars Technica, this unusual news: 

In a statement to JoBlo shared on Tuesday, WBD confirmed widespread complaints about DVDs manufactured between 2006 and 2008. The statement said:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is aware of potential issues affecting select DVD titles manufactured between 2006 – 2008, and the company has been actively working with consumers to replace defective discs.

Where possible, the defective discs have been replaced with the same title. However, as some of the affected titles are no longer in print or the rights have expired, consumers have been offered an exchange for a title of like-value.

Consumers with affected product can contact the customer support team at whv@wbd.com.

This was an interesting comment on the potential chemistry issues: 

its oxidation of the metal substrate that is encased in the plastic outer disc. The readable surface in there needs to stay sealed between the layers but eventually the bonding between them can fail and let in air which is why the rot usually starts from the inside of the disc and spreads outward. I worked on the blu-ray standard and this was a big concern when designing that format as the disc itself was even more prone to quickly degrading due to the even smaller physical indentations that designate a 1/0 on the disc media (compared to a dvd).

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the composition of optical discs: 

Write-once optical discs commonly have an organic dye (may also be a (phthalocyanine) azo dye, mainly used by Verbatim, or an oxonol dye, used by Fujifilm[4]) recording layer between the substrate and the reflective layer. Rewritable discs typically contain an alloy recording layer composed of a phase change material, most often AgInSbTe, an alloy of silver, indium, antimony, and tellurium.[5] Azo dyes were introduced in 1996 and phthalocyanine only began to see wide use in 2002. The type of dye and the material used on the reflective layer on an optical disc may be determined by shining a light through the disc, as different dye and material combinations have different colors.

Sounds like it's probably not actually the metal? Pretty interesting to think about, though. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 496 research/teaching positions and 88 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 497 research/teaching positions and 91 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 March 12, 2024, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 534 research/teaching positions and 82 teaching positions.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? This is the link to the second open thread. This is the link to 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. 

Job posting: visiting assistant professor, general/organic, Murray State University, Murray, KY

Via LinkedIn: 

Murray State's Department of Chemistry is looking for a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor for the next academic year (25-26). The candidate must have a PhD in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering, and must be able to teach general and/or organic chemistry (biochemistry is also an option). MSU is an ACS accredited, primarily undergraduate department with nearly 75 majors and over 100 minors in rural western Kentucky. Research space for the candidate is also an option. Please provide CV if interested.

Email Professor Kevin Miller (kmiller38 -at- murraystate.edu) if interested. 

C&EN: "Chemical makers brace for trade war"

In this week's C&EN, this article by Alex Tullo: 

...A trade war would be disruptive to the chemical industry. Canada, Mexico, and China are the top three US trading partners generally and the three leading export destinations for chemicals. Canada imported $29.5 billion worth of chemicals, excluding pharmaceuticals, from the US in 2024; Mexico imported $27.6 billion, and China, $14.7 billion.

Over the past decade, exports have become increasingly important to the US chemical industry. Because US petrochemical makers have access to cheap raw materials extracted from natural gas found in shale, they enjoy a cost advantage over their foreign counterparts. They have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on new capacity for products sold into export markets. For example, according to the Census Bureau, US exports of polyethylene and copolymers have more than doubled since 2014, hitting $16.5 billion in 2024. New tariffs imposed by other countries on products like these would chip away at the US advantage.

The US is also a major destination for exports from Canada, China, and Mexico. It imported $24.1 billion in chemicals from Canada, $13.8 billion from China, and $7.8 billion from Mexico last year.

Many US specialty and fine chemical makers depend on chemical intermediates that are produced mainly or exclusively in China. In 2019, the previous Trump administration erected tariffs of around 25% on many Chinese imports. At the time, US specialty chemical makers were able to appeal to the Office of the US Trade Representative to secure exclusions so that the raw materials they needed wouldn’t appear on duty lists.

Fewer than 20% of the exclusion requests were granted, notes Robert Helminiak, vice president of legal and government relations for the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA), a trade group. Now there will be no such process, and US importers will have to pay the duty on all products.

“The executive order is explicit in that there are no exemptions,” Helminiak says.

It will be really interesting to see what the Chinese do in response. The Trump Administration folks seem to think that the Chinese will simply lower their prices (and there appears to be deflation in China already?). I suppose we shall see.

Have a great weekend

Well, it wasn't an entirely bad week, I felt. I hope you had a great week. I have an early Saturday - hope you have a great weekend. See you on Monday. 

Reddit: Iowa State Chemistry cancels PhD admissions for international student

Via Reddit: 

The poster is an international student. 

This is the Trump Administration's doing, and it is bad for the country. 

Washington Examiner: ACS being sued for race-based ACS Scholars program

Via the Washington Examiner: 

Nation’s top chemistry group sued over race-based scholarship

By Kaelan Deese

March 5, 2025 10:45 am

EXCLUSIVE — The nation’s largest network for scientists and chemists is facing a legal challenge over a scholarship program that allegedly blocks students from applying based on race.

The American Chemical Society, or ACS, is facing a federal lawsuit claiming its ACS Scholars Program unlawfully excludes white and Asian students, reserving eligibility for “historically underrepresented” groups such as black, Hispanic, and Native American applicants. The complaint, filed in Washington D.C. federal court by the nonprofit organization Do No Harm, argues that the program violates the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

At the center of the lawsuit is a high-achieving high school senior who was instantly deemed ineligible after disclosing her multiracial background. Identified in the lawsuit as “Member A,” she holds a 4.34 GPA, a perfect ACT science score, and a 5 on the AP Chemistry exam. The lawsuit argues ACS shut her out solely because of her race.

Here's the text of the lawsuit. I'm probably too close to both the subject matter (college admissions) and the ACS to comment rationally, but suffice it to say that I am unimpressed with the lawsuit. I think that's the limit of what I have to say in public on the matter. 

Nevertheless, a mission of this blog is to cover the American Chemical Society with a certain level of independence and to provide analysis. As an analytical matter, I don't see ACS being willing to put up with a lot of political pressure nor being willing to spend a lot of money on this. I'm not a lawyer, and so it will be interesting to see how far this gets in the courts. 

Job posting: Senior Principal Scientist/Synthetic Peptide Chemist, Process Chemistry, Vertex, Boston MA

Via Bluesky: 

Vertex is seeking an experienced peptide chemist to join the Process Chemistry group. In this lab-based position you will be responsible for the synthesis, purification, and characterization of small organic compounds, peptides and possibly peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PPMOs). In addition, you will be responsible for any tech transfer to external CMOs for phase appropriate development and scale-up.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the synthesis, purification, and characterization of small organic compounds, peptides, and oligonucleotides under minimal supervision
• Manage relationships with external partners
• Identify and advocate for innovative synthetic strategies to project teams

Education and Experience:

PhD 6-8 years of experience, or MS degree with 9 years or experience (or equivalent education and experience) in synthetic organic chemistry or peptide chemistry Experience managing external CROs/CMOs

Experience in nucleic acid modifications and delivery of oligonucleotides are highly desirable

Experience with small- and large-scale CS-Bio solid phase peptide synthesizers (CS136x, CS936, or equivalent) in non-GMP and GMP environments

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

MLB infielder Paul DeJong's grandmother was a Dow chemist

Via friend of the blog Stephanie, this fun article: 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- It is not uncommon for Major League players to be influenced by a professional athlete in their family. In the Nationals' clubhouse, Darren Baker, Luis García Jr. and Marquis Grissom Jr. are among those whose fathers played in the bigs.

All-Star infielder Paul DeJong was inspired by his grandmother, Sharon Whipple -- an All-Star in her own field of work. Before he reached the Majors, DeJong considered a career as a doctor and graduated from Illinois State with a degree in biochemistry.

“She had some patents on reverse osmosis when she was working back in the day,” DeJong said. “... As a kid, I always gravitated towards science and math because she was a big proponent of that, and also my mind kind of worked the same way.”

Pretty fun article - read the whole thing!

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 496 research/teaching positions and 88 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 496 research/teaching positions and 88 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 March 3, 2024, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 534 research/teaching positions and 80 teaching positions.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? This is the link to the second open thread. This is the link to 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. 

Postdoctoral opening: new organic ligand towards lanthanide metal complexes, Daly Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

From the inbox: 

The laboratory of Dr. Scott R. Daly in the University of Iowa Department of Chemistry is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Scholar to join an exciting project aimed at developing new organic ligands for the synthesis and separation of lanthanide metal complexes.

The Postdoctoral Research Scholar will be tasked with leading efforts to prepare, purify, and design organic chemicals and ligand targets for the proposed applications.

Qualified applicants must have experience and expertise in multistep organic synthesis, purification of organic chemicals and intermediates, and chemical analysis and characterization techniques such as NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Experience in synthetic coordination chemistry (especially with lanthanide elements) is viewed as desirable, though not required. Applicants with an expressed interest in developing these skills will be viewed positively...

Application Information

Candidates must submit a cover letter, CV (including publication history), research statement, and contact information for up to three professional references. Evaluation of candidates will begin on April 1, 2025, and continue until the position is filled. The earliest start date is June 1, 2025.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 119 research/teaching positions and 17 teaching positions

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Heather LeClerc and Daniyal Kiani) has 119 research/teaching positions and 17 teaching positions. 

Here is a link to the open thread for the year. 

Will the ACS address the Trump Administration's attack on academic funding?

I made a series of comments on Bluesky (more or less off the cuff), but I guess I'll make them here as well. I was thoroughly unimpressed with ACS' recent statement "in support of science": 

...Each year, the American Chemical Society develops a U.S. public policy agenda that outlines how the organization will work with Congress and the administration throughout the course of the year. The agenda is shared at the start of the year when both bodies are traditionally preparing for the year ahead. But the start of this year has been different with federal actions coming immediately. The resulting changes in the federal landscape have been swift, leaving many unsure about what lies ahead. 

We are seeing changes occurring that have potential impacts on the areas of research eligible for federal funding, the types of scientific data being reported, and the level of indirect costs associated with federal biomedical research grants. These are just some of the potential impacts facing the scientific enterprise, with new actions emerging each day...

We're in this moment that we don't really understand, with a real "fog of war" aspect, because the government simply is not actually talking about what they are doing. The Trump White House* appears to be attacking American scientific academia by cutting off funding from NSF and NIH, and slowing the process of grants and cutting indirect costs to the point that universities are beginning to slow PhD admissions (although things seem to be unfreezing now.) 

I've observed ACS leadership long enough to know that political courage or speed are simply not in the cards, and I recognize that they are probably trying to avoid attracting attention, and that the Trump Administration seems very likely to attack non-profits through the tax system for punishment. Nevertheless, simple acknowledgement of what is happening and the level of seeming existential alarm that is taking place in American academia does not seem forthcoming. I desperately hope to be proven wrong, but I'm not holding my breath. 

As I said, surely ACS leadership is working on a plan to petition the government for a redress of American academic chemistry grievances. I hope to see that plan, and very soon. 

*(seeing as how a lot of the ructions started well before, say, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was confirmed.) 

Have a great weekend

Well, this was a long week, but it's almost done. I hope that you had a great week. Have a great weekend. See you on Monday. 

Job posting: research chemist, ExxonMobil, Baytown, TX

Via Indeed: 

ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Company has an opening for a chemist in the Organometallic Catalysis department located at our research facilities in the Houston, Texas area. This is our industry leading polymerization catalysis group. The successful candidate will join an enthusiastic group of scientists responsible for the discovery, development, and commercialization of new catalyst technology applied to the chemical industry.

What will you do

• Discover, develop, and commercialize catalyst technology applied to the chemical industry
• Develop creative independent research efforts in catalysis broadly defined

Skills and Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry
• Deep expertise in organometallic, organic, or inorganic chemistry
• Demonstrated track record in creative research

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

C&EN: "Impacts of NSF firings come into focus as scientists weigh next steps"

Via C&EN's Krystal Vasquez: 

US scientists are figuring out their next steps and expressing mounting concerns in the aftermath of the National Science Foundation’s move on Feb. 18 to fire about 10% of its permanent workforce...

...The NSF was already understaffed, says one former program officer affected by the firings, who would speak to C&EN only under the condition of anonymity because they plan to appeal their termination from the agency.

Now those whom the firings spared are strategizing to determine how to distribute all the work that their former colleagues would have shared, says a current program coordinator, who insisted on anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

One fired NSF employee on an expert appointment and two fired program directors, all of whom would speak to C&EN only under the condition of anonymity to avoid backlash or retaliation, say the termination notice came while many were in the middle of setting up review panels, finding reviewers, or working on solicitations—all key aspects of reviewing and awarding grants.

“It’s taking an enormous amount of effort to reassign everything that these brilliant people did,” the current program coordinator says over Signal, a secure messaging service. “We are working through deep, deep grief.”

Read the whole thing. This is quite horrible. Sorry I don't have more words. Best wishes to all those affected. 

Job posting: visiting assistant professor of chemistry, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

From the inbox: 

The Department of Chemistry at St. Olaf College invites applications for a full-time, one- or two-year position at the level of Visiting Instructor or Assistant Professor, to begin August 2025. 

Teaching responsibilities will include courses in biochemistry and general chemistry. 

Salary: $59,000 - $64,000

Qualifications: Applicants should 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. 

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 492 research/teaching positions and 85 teaching positions

The 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (curated by Andrew Spaeth and myself) has 492 research/teaching positions and 85 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 February 20, 2024, the 2024 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 526 research/teaching positions and 80 teaching positions.

Want to talk anonymously? Have an update on the status of a job search? This is the link to the second open thread. This is the link to 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. 

Job posting: visiting assistant professor of chemistry, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

From the inbox: 

The Department of Chemistry at Colgate University invites applications for one or more one-year Visiting Assistant Professor positions beginning in the fall semester of 2025. 

The successful candidate will teach an annual five-course load with contributions to the introductory-level chemistry curriculum and the possibility of upper-level courses in the candidate’s area of expertise. Visitors will have the opportunity, if desired, to conduct research and aid in the supervision of undergraduate research students. They will also gain professional development through mentoring in teaching and conducting research at an undergraduate institution. 

A faculty member notes "We're looking for at least one, probably two, visiting professors in Chemistry or Biochemistry and we're pretty flexible with respect to subfield expertise." 

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested. 

Graduate schools, including the University of Pittsburgh, are freezing PhD admissions

Via WESA: 

Amid uncertainty about frozen research aid from the National Institutes of Health, the University of Pittsburgh has put its Ph.D. admissions on ice. The school confirmed Friday that there would be no new Ph.D. offers of admission while Pitt works to understand how reduced federal aid could impact the institution.

The move comes as research universities across the country battle against the National Institutes of Health over a policy to reduce the funding cap for ancillary research expenses like building construction and maintenance as well as support staff.

The policy would reduce the cap for those indirect research costs to 15%. Pitt’s current rate is 59%. A federal judge extended a temporary pause on implementation of that policy Friday. But Pitt’s decision to halt admissions was made earlier in the week.

On Bluesky, Professor Geoff Hutchison noted that the Piit Department of Chemistry has already issued admissions and were in the midst of a visit weekend. 

[Here's a running list of schools that have confirmed that they're pausing PhD admissions, with various levels of confirmations.]

It's really hard to make predictions because we simply do not know what is going to happen from day to day with this Administration. If we have a pause in entering classes of graduate students, the effects on science will be both unpredictable (what science will not have been done?) and long-lasting (imagine if it is only this year that's affected - what would that do to the faculty job market 7 years from now?) 

It's more than a bit concerning that Derek Lowe's latest post is titled "The Continuing Crisis, Part V." Here's hoping we won't be on part XXIV by May. Best wishes to academic readers, and to all of us.