Main Chemical Feed

Drugging the ‘undruggable’ cancer proteins & conserving the Bayeux Tapestry

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:12:00 +0000

How did molecular glues help crack one of cancer’s toughest targets? And we explore the chemistry behind the investigation and conservation of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Deadly ammonia leak at fertiliser plant in Iraq

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:38:00 +0000

Two dead and 114 injured in incident at state-operated plant in Basra industrial area

The weather is bad, and that's because of the Trump Administration

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

chart of the Chemistry Faculty Jobs List (search years 2017-2026)
data by Chemjobber and Andrew Spaeth, visualization by Andrew Spaeth

I don't write as often as I used to on this blog, and I'm trying to change that. A core function of the blog that I've kept up over the years is its place as a home for the Chemistry Faculty Jobs List. This blog (and me, I guess) are pretty closely tied to it in the public eye. (This is a moment to note, as ever, that Paul Bracher was the true founder, and Andrew Spaeth was an important co-curator for many years.)

I have always viewed the List as having a dual mandate: to help the tenure-track faculty job seeker in chemistry, as well as to collect data and attempt to deeply understand the nature of the American academic chemistry job market.

Over the years, Andrew Spaeth did a tremendous amount of work for us to understand the patterns of that job market, and allowed us to see that there was a basic pattern - that jobs would begin posting during the summer, would dramatically increase over the fall, and then plateau out in the spring. He also developed a number of very nice data visualizations over the years, the fruit of which is above.

Our first time that we were able to effectively use that data was in the fall 2020-spring 2021 academic search year, where we clearly demonstrated that the market was effectively down by 40% from the previous average. For the jobseeker, this was a statistical confirmation of something that must have been experienced every day - that there were simply fewer jobs available due to circumstances entirely outside of their control.

I tried to keep people abreast of these developments by issuing somewhat monthly "weather reports", where I would track the number of jobs on the List as a means of showing how the market was doing compared to previous years. Sadly, for this current cycle and the past one, the weather is bad.

We now know that the fall 2025-spring 2026 search year (hiring professors to start fall 2026) was the worst job market since the 2020-21 search year. Most specifically, the 25-26 search year had 185 job openings at PhD-granting institutions, which is 104 positions off the average of 289 positions from search years 2022-2025.

Nothing else changed other than the presidential administration and its approach to both higher education funding and the funding agencies themselves. The cruelties inflicted on the NSF and the NIH will be with us for decades to come. There are so many long-term impacts - but the short-term ones are now visible.

I think it's important to spend some time on the direct human costs of the situation. Those 104 missing positions meant 104 additional postdocs that had to spend another year in the cycle, deciding between trying for yet another year, keeping themselves and their families in limbo, thinking about taking a position in industry or perhaps finding refuge at another university in another country. This is so sad and so unnecessary.

It also means 104 laboratories that were not established, 104 new scientific directions that were likely not tried, hundreds of grant applications that were not filed. We will never know the scientific frontiers that were never pushed back because of these 104 missing positions, the materials not made, the cures not developed.

This is a terrible self-inflicted wound on American academia and ultimately our country and it is one of the most grievous long-term mistakes that this president has made and the Congress has allowed to happen. I hope that it will be reversed soon before the bulk of the damage is made permanent.

Making low-stakes mistakes is how we learn

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:50:00 +0000

Sharing mistakes helps us grow and avoid bigger incidents in the future. Please get in touch if you’ve ever made a low-stakes mistake in your career.

The Chemistry World team shares some of its low-stakes mistakes

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:46:00 +0000

Have you ever made an typo, broke some equipment or made a general slip-up? Get in touch and tell us about some of your own low-stakes mistakes.

‘Molecular glues’ are sticking it to cancer

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 14:56:00 +0000

Compounds that enhance selected protein–protein interactions to interfere with signalling or send proteins to be destroyed are making it possible to influence processes that were previously considered ‘undruggable’

Protein degrading breast cancer drugs navigate bumpy road to market

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Camizestrant is now approved in US, UK and Europe despite uncertainty over long-term benefit, while vepdegestrant is approved in the US

Simple technique makes it easier to access and exploit hydrogen radicals

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:24:00 +0000

Highly reactive hydrogen radicals generated using ultraviolet light and off-the-shelf reagents

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 156 research/teaching positions and 13 teaching positions

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 156 research/teaching positions and 13 teaching positions

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

On September 16, 2025, the 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 149 research/teaching positions and 16 teaching positions. On September 17, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 245 research/teaching positions and 18 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.

Job posting: Teaching Professor (one year), Department of Chemistry, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:55:00 +0000

From the inbox:

The Department of Chemistry at the University of San Francisco invites applications for a one-year full-time Teaching Professor position at the Assistant Professor level, to begin August 2027. This is a teaching-focused position with no research responsibilities. Our ACS-certified department offers a BS in Chemistry, a BS with Biochemistry concentration, a BS with Medicinal/Synthetic Chemistry concentration, and a thesis-based MS in Chemistry. The department is supported by a full-time stockroom manager, organic lab coordinator/NMR manager, instrumentation specialists, and a science safety officer.
...Applicants should submit: a cover letter summarizing interests and qualifications, a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy and experience, evidence of teaching ability (e.g., sample syllabi, student and/or peer teaching evaluations), and three letters of recommendation (requested upon submission of application). Questions can be addressed to chemistrysearch@usfca.edu. Priority will be given to applications received by October 1, 2026.

Full ad here. Best wishes to all interested.

Postdoc position: Actinide Coordination Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:50:00 +0000

From the inbox:

The Daly Research Group at the University of Iowa is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Scholar to join a newly funded project aimed at investigating metal-phosphorus bonding with actinides, including the transuranium elements Np and Pu.
The Postdoctoral Research Scholar will be tasked with leading efforts to prepare and characterize new phosphorus ligands and actinide complexes. Qualified applicants must have significant experience and expertise in air-free synthetic methods (e.g., Schlenk and glovebox techniques), crystal growth and analysis using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and spectroscopic characterization methods such as NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies. Experience in actinide chemistry and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is viewed as highly desirable, though not required. Applicants that have an expressed interest in developing these skills will be viewed positively.
Interested applicants can learn more about the position and apply here: https://jobs.uiowa.edu/postdoc/view/4674

Best wishes to those interested.

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 34 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0000

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Todd N. Whittaker) has 34 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions.

Want to chat? Go to the open thread.

Does the discovery of a new coronavirus upend the Covid-19 lab-leak hypothesis?

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:36:00 +0000

Sequence found in Sars-CoV-2 had never been seen in another bat coronavirus until now

UK funding agency to spend £66 million on new methods for engineering the mitochondrial genome

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:30:00 +0000

Aria announces support for 19 research projects that aim to develop tools to make precise, controlled changes to mitochondrial DNA

C&EN: "Hokkaido University is cited in fatal HF accident"

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Via C&EN, this update (article by Katsumori Matsuoka):

Following a fatal accident involving hydrofluoric acid (HF), the city of Sapporo, Japan, has cited Hokkaido University for violations of Japan’s poisonous substances control act. One student died and two were injured in the Aug. 27 incident.

The city sent a violation letter after an Aug. 28 municipal inspection of the laboratory where the accident occurred. It identified four areas of noncompliance related to the management of hazardous substances.

Inspectors found that nontoxic reagents were stored in a cabinet designated exclusively for toxic substances. They also found that the ledger used to record the receipt and use of HF was unaccounted for and that the key to the toxic substance storage cabinet was not being properly checked in and out. Finally, they determined that containers into which HF and other substances were poured lacked required labeling to identify the contents as poisonous...

...In response to an inquiry by C&EN, Hokkaido University’s public relations office writes in an email, “Each laboratory is required to implement risk‑reduction measures appropriate to the types of chemicals handled and their associated hazards. The laboratory concerned had calcium gluconate prepared.” The office adds, “Going forward, we will require laboratories that possess HF to prepare calcium gluconate and other advance measures, and we will distribute posters summarizing procedures for responding to chemical burns.”

From my perspective, we still don't understand a lot of details about this case. Who was the PI? Why was there so much HF? What exactly happened? I guess we will see what develops over this next year.

Multivariate MOFs make the case for embracing complexity

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:33:00 +0000

Frameworks built from multiple different metals and ligands are expanding the possibilities for materials that can do many things at once

China’s scientific rise is being driven by returning expertise – especially chemists

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:30:00 +0000

Top performing chemists are increasingly likely to go back to China, analysis find

Have a good weekend

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Well, this was a nice, relaxed week, even with some travel. I hope that you have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Monday (really!)

Postdoctoral position: Cell and Gene Therapy at FDA

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0000

From the inbox:

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to conduct laboratory research on projects related to cell and gene therapy. The fellow will use advanced manufacturing tools and innovative strategies to investigate key challenges associated with next-generation immunotherapies, including in vivo and allogeneic CAR-T approaches, with the goal of improving the safety and efficacy of immune cell–based therapies.
Applicants must have received a doctoral degree in biological sciences, chemistry, computational or a closely related discipline. Experience in immunology, molecular biology, animal models, and bioinformatics is desirable but not required. Candidates with strong publication records are especially encouraged to apply.
The opportunity is open to U.S. citizen, or foreigners who have lived in the United States for at least 36 out of the past 60 months. Appointment is contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
To be considered, please submit a curriculum vitae and a cover letter describing your research interests and career goals to Dr. Fei Mo at fei.mo -at- fda.hhs.gov

Best wishes to those interested.

Avtar Singh Matharu: ‘Being a visible role model is really important’

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:40:00 +0000

The green chemist on being authentic, having good mentors and being proud of your culture

Growing confidence of Africa’s chemical societies brings chemistry’s benefits to continent

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:39:00 +0000

Chemistry organisations on the continent are looking to professionalise and get involved in setting standards in their home countries

Job posting: Medicinal Organic Chemist - Chemical Biology (BS/MS), Novartis, Cambridge, MA

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Via a search for "medicinal chemist" on Indeed, this position:

Internal job title: Research Scientist I / Research Scientist II
Position Location: Cambridge, MA, onsite.

Job description

In this lab-based role, with team assistance, you will carry out multi-step organic chemistry synthesis routes preparing organic molecules that test molecular biology hypotheses and interrogate molecular pathways implicated in disease. You will leverage your expertise in mechanistic organic chemistry to effect functional group transformations building up complex structures. You will use modern purification techniques for final product isolation and then gather and analyze characterization data for structural confirmation. You will analyze assay results using data tools and leveraging Data Science and A.I. to work through the Design, Make, Test, Analyze (DMTA) cycle.

Essential Requirements:

BS or MS degree in chemistry; 0-5 years of industrial experience. This is not a PhD-level position.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.

Can we predict what happens in a molecular movie?

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:47:00 +0000

A seemingly impossible challenge revealed how close theorists are to truly predicting the future in computational photochemistry

Chemists break cycloaddition ‘rule-of-five’ by simply tweaking electronic properties of molecule

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:31:00 +0000

Changing the substituents on a dialkene molecule influenced which bicyclic product formed during a photocycloaddition reaction

Iran War causes US fluoride shortage

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Via a Google Alert I have for "shortage", this news from yesterday:

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Shreveport’s water system has been without fluoride for about a week, Mayor Tom Arceneaux said.
City leaders say the shortage stems from a nationwide supply chain issue and is temporary.

I hadn't heard about this, but I found this article from NPR from April of this year:

...U.S. water systems are facing a shortage of hydrofluorosilicic acid, a chemical used to fluoridate drinking water to prevent cavities and tooth decay.
The specialized chemical is mainly sourced from a small pool of international producers. And the conflict in the Middle East is disrupting the supply chain. Managers of U.S. water systems say the shortage in fluoridation chemicals is unprecedented.
Companies make the acid in large factories, primarily overseas. U.S. suppliers import and deliver the product. The acid arrives at water treatment plants across the U.S. in liquid form, transported in 5,000 gallon tanker trucks. "We don't manufacture it, we don't produce it. All of our chemicals are purchased, and they rely on the supply chain in order to get to our plants," Garbark says.
Israel is one of the world's leading producers of the chemical. "As we understand it, one of the main suppliers in Israel lost a number of employees temporarily, because they've been called up into service in the Israeli military," says Dan Hartnett, chief policy officer at the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. "That essentially shut down production at their facility in Israel. They haven't been producing acid. They haven't been able to ship it out."

We've seen supply chains fragment because of war (Ukraine) and disease (COVID.) We'll have to see what happens here and how new suppliers step in to fill the gap.

Carborane-based electron transport material challenges buckminsterfullerene in tandem solar cells

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:23:00 +0000

By improving electron extraction and reducing parasitic light absorption, new material boosts tandem cell efficiency, but not yet device longevity

Deadly reminders of the importance of risk assessment

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:15:00 +0000

Serious incidents in two university labs highlight the importance of knowing what to do when things go wrong

Aria chair steps aside after conflict of interest concerns over role at Anthropic

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:27:00 +0000

Matt Clifford leaves UK’s moonshot research funder after taking role at US AI company

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 132 research/teaching positions and 10 teaching positions

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 132 research/teaching positions and 10 teaching positions

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

On September 9, 2025, the 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 149 research/teaching positions and 16 teaching positions. On September 10, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 219 research/teaching positions and 14 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.

Butterfly-inspired structural colours could replace synthetic pigments

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:40:00 +0000

Inspired by nature, chemists in the US are working to create vibrant, long-lasting and safer colours that could be used in food, cosmetics and paints

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List: 30 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0000

The Chemical Engineering Faculty Jobs List (by Todd N. Whittaker) has 30 research/teaching positions and 3 teaching positions.

Want to chat? Go to the open thread.

US approves pancreatic cancer treatment that targets ‘undruggable’ proteins

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:35:00 +0000

Daraxonrasib success offers hope of further approvals for Ras-inhibitor drug candidates targeting various cancers

Upcycling sulfide-laden wastewater offers way to shelter chemical industries from sulfur supply crisis

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 13:39:00 +0000

Researchers suggest that method could generate a profit of up to $200 per tonne of sulfur recovered

Happy Labor Day!

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

To my American readers, a very happy Labor Day to you and your family. To people in the rest of the world, happy Monday! Back tomorrow.

The chemistry helping to unravel the Bayeux Tapestry’s secrets

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:31:00 +0000

As the Bayeux Tapestry comes to the British Museum, scientists reveal how chemistry and imaging technology are unlocking its hidden history

Cockroaches producing energy-rich milk bag this year’s chemistry Ig Nobel prize

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 10:33:00 +0000

Could cockroach milk one day line supermarket shelves?

Hideki Shirakawa, who shared chemistry Nobel for discovering conductive polymers, passes away at 90

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 10:16:00 +0000

Collaboration with Alan MacDiarmid and Alan Heeger on doped polyacetylenes ushered in new field of electronics

Finding brightness in the depth of power cuts

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 10:05:00 +0000

The illuminating lessons I learned from living with loadshedding

Have a great weekend

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Well, this was a fun week, mostly. I hope that you had a fun week. I plan to have a really fun weekend, and we'll see you on Tuesday.

C&EN's Cities of Chemistry

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0000

Via C&EN, I love this feature!:

For any career, a network is everything. For chemists, that network is highly specialized. You need laboratory space. You need coworkers and mentors with certain skill sets. And you need institutions. Depending on how you’d like your career to unfold, those institutions can include academic centers, big industrial companies, start-up accelerators and incubators, and venture capital firms.

These institutions are all around the US and all around the globe. As it turns out, in an increasingly digital world, geography still matters.

Different cities and regions play host to different kinds of chemistry ecosystems. Houston, long the stronghold of the petrochemical industry, is now establishing itself as the geographic cornerstone of the US energy transition. Boston may not house the headquarters of top US pharmaceutical companies, but it commands the most chemistry-related venture capital investment and the third-highest chemistry article output, reflecting its status as a life sciences hub spanning start-ups, academia, and research hospitals.

C&EN has evaluated the features that make a city, state, or country ripe for building a career in chemistry. Using a mix of public and private data, we’ve created interactive tools so you can see what regions are dominant as research centers, chemical industry hubs, and start-up havens—ultimately, whatever matters most to you.

Check it out, especially the commercial lab real estate ranking - fascinating.

Antibody data manipulation extends to thousands of images across 15 suppliers

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:45:00 +0000

Sleuths discover widespread, systematic alteration of Western blots and other antibody data

Ada Yonath, chemistry Nobel winner who mapped the ribosome, dies at 87

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:15:00 +0000

Pioneering x-ray crystallographer changed the way science understood ribosomes and protein synthesis

Job posting: Reagent Design Scientist, IDEXX, Westbrook, ME

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Via ACS Chemistry Careers:

The Reagent Design Scientist performs a broad range of hands-on scientific activities spanning research, new product development (NPD), reagent manufacture, and product support. Working within a technically focused R&D team, this role centers on peptide synthesis, with the flexibility to contribute to chemical synthesis, conjugation chemistry, and fluorophore labeling as project needs evolve. This scientist will apply their background in chemistry and biochemistry to plan and execute peptide synthesis and purification with rigorous analytical characterization, supporting the advancement of veterinary diagnostic products from concept toward production. This scientist is expected to build familiarity with data analysis tools and IDEXX NPD processes.
Reagent design spans a range of reagent modalities from small molecules and peptides to oligonucleotides, antibody conjugates, and functionalized particles. The Reagent Design Scientist will pair sound experimental technique with growing scientific judgment to help drive the right work forward the first time.

What you need to succeed:

A degree in organic chemistry, biochemistry, or a related field is required. Master's degree with 0–2 years of industrial experience, OR Bachelor's degree with 4-6 years of experience.
Hands-on laboratory experience in chemical synthesis, peptide synthesis, conjugation, purification, and analysis is required.
Experience with common laboratory and analytical instrumentation used to synthesize, purify, and characterize reagents, including HPLC, LC-MS, UV-Vis, and related techniques is a must.

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.

South African scientists could face year in prison unless registered with national standards body, under proposed law

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:30:00 +0000

Researchers warn that registration offers little benefit and that the associated costs will disadvantage early-career researchers

Advances in CAR-T cancer therapy & carbon materials’ hidden defects

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:36:00 +0000

What does recent success with bladder tumours mean for solid cancer treatment? And we discuss why scientists are rethinking how they assign peaks in spectra of carbon-based materials.

‘Lots of researchers were doing very unusual things – I created an awards ceremony to celebrate them’

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:19:00 +0000

Marc Abrahams, founder of the Ig Nobel prizes, on how the annual parody science award show began and how it’s changing

Memphis high school student burned in chemistry experiment gone awry

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Via WREG:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Central High School basketball player was treated at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital last week after he was burned during a science experiment gone wrong.

Tije’a Wilks was being recorded by another student mixing chemicals and then lighting them when they suddenly burst into flames. You can see his chemistry teacher standing beside him when it happened.

“The teacher had a pastry bowl on the ground, which consisted of potassium, citrate, zinc, and sulfur,” said Andria Wilks. “Once he did strike, instead of it being a ball of smoke, it was a ball of fire.”

I'm delighted that the teacher was having his kids to a relatively fun chemistry experiment (looks like it should have been potassium chlorate as the oxidizer), but very concerned that they were clearly inadequately protected from my brief viewing of the video. Best wishes to the victim and the family.

Waste chlorine upcycled into valuable materials using simple resin

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:31:00 +0000

Polystyrene-based resin could capture chlorine lost in industrial waste streams

Copper chains more than 4000 atoms long are the longest ever produced

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:30:00 +0000

Carbon-sheathed copper wires produced under extreme pressure

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List: 106 research/teaching positions and 7 teaching positions

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The 2027 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List has 106 research/teaching positions and 7 teaching positions

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

On September 2, 2025, the 2026 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 103 research/teaching positions and 13 teaching positions. On September 3, 2024, the 2025 Chemistry Faculty Jobs List had 186 research/teaching positions and 11 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.