ChemformationChemformation
Volume 14, Number 22
Friday, July 10, 1998
Please note that Chemformation will be published only once a month for the summer. Chemformation is published by the Office of the Department Chairman. Please convey items of interest (or mailing list changes) to Linda Earle, Room 18-390, Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617/253-1803; 617/258-7500 (fax) or e-mail to lkn@mit.edu Back issues of Chemformation can be accessed via the Chemistry Department Website.
Visit the Chemistry Department Website at http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/www/
The faculty, students and staff of the Department of Chemistry welcome our new junior faculty members arriving this month: Professor Jianshu Cao and Professor Andrei Tokmakoff, both physical chemists join the MIT faculty, coming from sunny California- with Professor Cao arriving from the University of California at San Diego, and Professor Tokmakoff from the University of California at Berkeley.
Professor Jianshu Cao received his undergraduate degree in China. He was chosen for an international program which brought him to Columbia University and eventually to the laboratory of Professor Bruce Berne's group to work on various theoretical problems including electron solvation, dielectric properties of liquid crystals, polarization effects in clusters and solutions. In 1995 he moved to USCD where he worked with experimentalists and extended his research interests to include the areas of ultrafast chemistry, high intensity lasers, and x-ray diffraction and absorption. Professor Cao believes that theorists should explain and predict experimental measurables, explore new frontiers of science and technology, and contribute to society and its welfare. He is looking forward to beginning his career at MIT. In his spare time he enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, photography and the arts.
Professor Andrei Tokmakoff received his Ph.D. from Stanford under Professor Michael D. Fayer and held a postdoctoral fellowship with Professor Alfred Laubereau at the Technical University of Munich. After finishing there, he moved to the University of Chicago to postdoc with Professor Graham R. Fleming. Most recently the Fleming group moved to the University of California at Berkeley where Andrei continued with his work. His is an experimental physical chemist whose research uses multidimensional vibrational spectroscopy to study the structure and dynamics of liquids and solutions, proteins, peptides, liquid crystals and other complex systems.
Andrei and his wife Karen have a 13 month old daughter Lena. Their interests include all sorts of outdoor activities, such as hiking and biking. They are looking forward to getting to know the Boston cultural scene. Andrei says he hopes to find partners for any sport that uses a racket.
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Friday, July 10, 1998 |
"Double Annulation Route to Highly Substituted and Functionalized Decalins" |
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Friday, July 17, 19982:00 p.m. in Norris Room
(18-490) |
"Synthesis of Multifunctional Aromatics via Novel Chemo-and Regiospecific Cycloaddition Reactions" |
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Friday, July 17, 1998 |
"Chiral Electrophiles in Organic Synthesis: From Selenium to Iodione" |
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Monday, August 3, 1998 |
"Aminocarbyne complexes of Group VI transition metals in high oxidation-state" |
On Wednesday, July 15 from 12-1 in the Amdur Room (6-233), Carol Orme-Johnson, director of the Mediation@MIT program will talk to Women in Chemistry. The topic will be "Resolving Tensions in the Lab." Bring a lunch, dessert will be provided. Questions? Contact Dana Buske, dana@masamune.mit.edu or 3-1854.
Would you like to work at the ACS National Meeting and receive a free registration plus get paid? If so, some possible duties include: Projection Assistant (placement of signs, staffing AV service desks), Operations Assistant (distribution of literature, setting up poster sessions, running errands), Registration Assistant (distributing badge holders and programs, monitoring registration lines), Press Room Aide (assisting in Xeroxing and telephone answering), Exhibit Aide (assisting in selling products and managing cash receipts), and Corporation Associates Assistant (assisting Staff Associate with various meetings). Who is Eligible? Both undergraduate and graduate students.
If you are interested, please send your name, contact information, dates/times available, and position you are interested in to: Prof. Marietta Schwartz Dept. of Chemistry- University of Massachusetts Boston 100 Morrissey Boulevard- Boston, MA 02125-3393- Tel: 617-287-6146 E-mail: marietta.schwartz@umb.edu
Dr. Ben Palmer (formerly postdoc, Wrighton/Laibinis Groups), Development Engineer, Oilfield Chemical Products, Dowell Schlumberger in Houston, Texas, will be in the Department of Chemistry on July 20 and 21 to recruit for positions in well stimulation technology. Candidate should be a PhD candidate or postdoc with experience in two areas of chemistry and in wet chemistry. Anyone interested should sign up for interviews on the Placement Bulletin board outside of the Headquarters Office (18-390) and leave a copy of their résumé with M.-T. Kouo or Kitty Valleli in 18-390. Interview Schedule and résumés will be forwarded to Dr. Palmer on July 10.
Literature on Schlumberger Dowell available in Chemistry Headquarters in 18-390.
The defending champions from MIT are proud to announce the 12th Annual New England Regional Chemistry Softball Tournament on Saturday, July 25th 1998 at the MIT Athletic Fields. Please come and cheer them on. For more information please contact: Kevin Shea at (617) 253-1835, or email: kmshea@mit.edu
Bob DiGiacomo will be coming in on Wednesdays or Thursdays to pick up any glass blowing work that you may have available. Please bring any work to room 6-031 or call Ed Udas or John Annese at 3-4505. Bob will do the work on a first-come, first-served basis.
Call Ed Udas at 253-4505 or stop by room 6-026 if students, faculty, or staff need help in organizing their MIT space.
Applications are invited for a position as "Universit Etsassistent" (assistant professor, tenure track) at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria. The successful candidate will have to teach classes in Physical Chemistry, supervise lab-courses and participate in the education of graduate and diploma students. He or she will be actively involved in research projects on pure and applied surface science. Basic research projects address the structural and chemical activation or passivation of metal surfaces. Applied research is directed towards preparation and analysis of functional layers and thin films (e.g. hard coatings, passivation layers and tribological films) on various subtrates. Candidates should have a strong background in surface chemistry and physics, experience in photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy or low energy ion scattering, as well as in UHV-technology. A chemical background is desirable. Erminald Bertel Institut fuer Physikalische ChemieInnrain 52a A-6020 Innsbruck Phone: +43 512 507 5050 Fax: +43 512 507 2925 email:erminald.bertel@uibk.ac.at
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Seeks a tenure-track position in inorganic chemistry at the assistant professor level for July 1, 1999 in the area of bioinorganic chemistry and materials science. Applicants should sumbit packets by July 15, 1998 to: Professor Gary Horlick, Chair, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2G2.
Yale University, New Haven, CT: Assistant Professor position for the broad fields of inorganic, theoretical and biophysical chemistry for the fall of 1999. Send applications to: Professor Donald M. Crothers, Chair, Junior Faculty Search Committee, PO box 208107, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8107.
Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ: Looking for applicants for Reaction Engineering laboratory at Merck. The candidate should possess a Ph.D. in chemistry with a strong interest in studying kinetic and mechanistic aspects of organic and catalytic reactions. The thrust of the Reaction Engineering laboratory focuses on an in-depth understanding at the fundamental level of chemical and physical processes involved in organic synthesis aimed at rational development and optimization of pharamaceutical synthetic processes. Please contact Yongkui Sun at Merck & Company, Inc. PO Box 2000, RY55-228, Rahway, NJ 07065, email: yongkui_sun@merck.com or call him at (732) 594-1643.
University of Southern California, Director of Instructional Computing: The Director of Instructional Computing a non-tenure track faculty position is available summer/fall of 1998. Should possess a Ph.D. in Chemistry have extensive experience with a wide range of computing hardward and chemical software, including web-based programming and be planning a career in Chemical Education at the University lelve. Send cv and references to: Professor Larry Singer, Associate Chair, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0744.
The Shadow's Rain Corporation is currently seeking qualified applicants for positions unique in the educational industry. The requirements of the job include having three hours per day on weekdays, at least a masters degree and instructional experience of more than 2 years. Though the job is merit based and some exceptions will be considered. The position does not require full-time commitment, but does require efficiency and skill. The positions are nontenured for the first two years, pay starts at 40K+ with benefits and is not geographically restricted.(Possibly home based though ISDN) Only serious skilled applicants need apply. Any further inquiries can be directed to (713) 417-1066. All interested applicants send biodata to: email Jalali1@swbell.net
A lectureship is available in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Durham (Research rating: 5; Teaching assessment rating; excellent). The position is for an initial period of 3 years, extendable for a further 2 years, and with some potential for continuation to a permanent position. Applicants should have a Ph D in chemistry or physics and research interests in experimental or theoretical physical chemistry or chemical physics. Further information about the Department and the University are available via the Department's Web page at http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dch0www/
Informal enquiries may be made to Prof. Robin K. Harris (tel. 0191 374 3121) or email R.K.Harris@durham.ac.uk Further details and an application form may be obtained from the Director of
Personnel, University of Durham, Old Shire Hall, Durham, DH1 3HP (tel. 0191 374 7258; FAX 0191 374 7253; email Acad.Recruit@durham.ac.uk). The closing date for applications is 16 July 1998, Enquiries should quote reference no. A804D.
University of California at Riverside: Postdoctoral in the laboratory of Professor T. Keith Hollis, to initiate programs in organometallic synthesis and enantioselective catalysis. Check his website at: http://www.chem.ucr.edu/faculty/hollis.html
Research Positions at the Weizmann Institute Doctoral and post-doctoral positions in the field experimental "Coherent Control of Chemical Reactions" have become available in the group of Professor Moshe Shapiro at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. The positions are available within the framework of a center of excellence in Coherence Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute and The Hebrew University, and the German-Israeli DIP project in collaboration with Prof. D. Zajfman of the Physics department at the Weizmann Institute. The experimental work will focus on 2-photon vs. 2-photon phase control of dissociation processes, in continuation of our past demonstration of laser control of electronic degrees of freedom in the Na2 dissociation process (Phys. Rev. Letters 76: 2886 (1996)). The candidates will be encouraged (as an option) to also participate in our theoretical work in the topics of: coherent control of chiral synthesis; laser cooling of molecules and laser induced recombination; wavepacket and potential imaging by femtosecond spectroscopy. Additional details about the group, its activities, and two sample papers, can be found at http://chemphys.weizmann.ac.il/~shapiro/home.html Interested applicants should contact (electronic mail is preferable): Professor Moshe Shapiro Department of Chemical Physics The Weizmann Institute Rehovot, 76100 Israel cfshapir@weizmann.weizmann.ac.il fax:+972-8-9344123
Theoretical/Computational Chemistry, Notre Dame, IN A postdoctoral position is available in the Hammes-Schiffer research group in the general area of reaction dynamics in complex systems. Projects of interest include: 1. Extensions and applications of the TDSCF-RPH (time-dependent self-consistent-field reaction path Hamiltonian) method (see J. Chem. Phys. 108, 7085 (1998) for more information on this topic). 2. Development and applications of mixed quantum/classical molecular dynamics methods, particularly to proton and hydride transfer reactions and photoexcited reactions in solution and in enzymes. 3. Investigation of solvation dynamics of fundamental organic reactions. Computer programming experience and a strong background in physical chemistry and chemical physics are required. Funding for this position is available immediately, but the starting date is flexible. See my web site http://www.nd.edu/~shammes for more information. Please send CV and at least 2 letters of recommendation to: Professor Sharon Hammes-Schiffer- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry- University of Notre Dame- Notre Dame, IN 46556- (219) 631-7434 e-mail: hammes-schiffer.1@nd.edu
Post-doctoral Fellowship in Infrared Laser Kinetic Spectroscopy- Robert F. Curl and Graham P.Glass of the Chemistry Department at Rice University are seeking a Post-doctoral Fellow in the in the field of
infrared laser kinetic spectroscopy of free radicals. In these experiments, a suitable precursor for the radical of interest is flash photolyzed by an excimer laser and the transient infrared absorption of radical produced is observed using a tunable, cw IR laser probe. The probe lasers are a color center laser and a difference frequency source. For somewhat more information see http://pchem1.rice.edu/FacultyStaff/Curl.html and its linked page. This position requires extensive experience with lasers and the normal technology of Chemical Physics. Previous experience working with cw tunable lasers preferably Coherent Autoscan Ti:sapphire lasers is desirable. The position is restricted to individuals who have received their doctorates within the last five years. Please send a resume and arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent to Robert Curl, Chemistry Department, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA <rfcurl@rice.edu> by August 15, 1998. Rice University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
A postdoctoral position is available to work on unimolecular and bimolecular reactions of molecules and radicals using product ion imaging and TOF/REMPI techniques. Further information about our research can be found in my group's homepage: http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~reisler. Two machines are currently available, one devoted to crossed beams studies of bimolecular reactions and the other optimized for the production and detection of free radicals. The postdoc will be responsible for implementing recent improvements in resolution and data acquisition techniques, as well as for the application of the technique to processes important in combustion and in atmospheric chemistry. The ion imaging technique complements several others in our lab, e.g., LIF, IR/UV pumping with high-resolution OPO's, etc. 1. Unimolecular reactions of free radicals (e.g. hydroxymethyl, allyl) are studied using photofragment ion imaging with REMPI detection. Pyrolytic and photolytic production of radicals are implemented. Reactions proceeding via multiple path ways and involving nonadiabatic transitions and isomerization are emphasized, as well as state-specific effects enhanced by using multiple photon and double resonance pumping schemes. 2. Bimolecular Reactions of atoms and radicals are studied using imaging in a crossed molecular beam machine previously used in studies of state-selected collision induced dissociation. Other related experiments carried out in my lab include: 3. Reactions of atomic carbon in pulsed molecular beams, in which both free and seeded ablation techniques are used to study insertion, abstraction and addition reactions of carbon. 4. Photoinitiated reactions at gas-solid interfaces (in collaboration with Professor Curt Wittig): Interactions of vibratio nally excited molecules with oxide surfaces are moni tored state-selectively with a variety of laser spectroscopies and using high-resolution OPO's. Other collaborativeprojects are also encouraged. Interested candidates with prior experience in laser techniques should send their resume and two letters of reference to: Pr