ChemformationChemformation
Volume 14, Number 28
Friday, October 23, 1998
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, 617/253-4080; 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/
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Monday, October 26, 1998 |
"Cellular Signaling with Nitric Oxide: the Nuts and Bolts" |
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Wednesday, October 28, 1998 |
"Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity Studies of Organometallic Titanium Complexes Stabilized by Aminotroponiminate Ligands" |
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Thursday, October 29, 1998 |
Topic TBA |
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Thursday, October 29, 1998 |
Topic TBA |
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Friday, October 30, 1998 |
"The Challenges of Editing the Newsmagazine of the Chemical World" |
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Thursday, November 5, 1998 |
"Structure-Reactivity Relationships of Lithium Dialkylamides: Lessons Learned from Solution Kinetics (with No Math!)" |
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A Series of Lectures on: | |
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Monday, November 16, 1998 |
"Biological electron transfer: The blue copper active site" |
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Tuesday, November 17, 1998 |
"Dioxygen binding, activation, and four electron reduction to water by copper proteins" |
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Thursday, November 19, 1998 |
"Structure/function correlations in non-heme iron enzymes" |
Call Ed Udas at 253-4505 or stop by room 6-026 if students, faculty, or staff need help in organizing their MIT space.
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
The Department was recently asked by C&E News to release employment information on our PhDs and postdocs who left during 1998. The data are of sufficient interest that Professor Lippard suggested that the findings be shared with the entire MIT chemistry community.
What we found essentially was that in the academic market, 50% of our PhDs went on to postgraduate positions while 28% of our postdocs took a second postdoc position. Re. Positions in academics. According to the Department's experience, few PhDs go directly into academics, while many more will do so after their postdocs. This fact still holds true with data showing 2% of our PhDs leaving for an academic position vs. 28% after completing their postdocs. Our data also show 8% of our postdocs taking research staff positions in universities.
In the industrial job market, both employment and salaries remain strong: Our employment figures show 14% of our PhDs and 11% of our postdocs leaving for pharmaceutical companies, 24% of our PhDs and 25% of our postdocs for chemical/manufacturing companies, and 10% of our PhDs for management consulting firms. Data also show our Department's Fall recruiting/placement activities playing an active role in placing 75% of our PhDs and 77% of our postdocs who secured positions in industry and consulting firms. This service, which involves the active participation of everyone in the Department from the faculty to the students and staff, is regarded as a model of attentive efficiency by recruiters who recruit on a regular basis at such institutions as Harvard, Stanford, Cal Tech, Columbia, Yale, etc.
Salary offers reported by our PhDs and postdocs range from 60 and 77 Ks/year, with stock options or sign-up bonuses ranging from 3 to 10K. Salary offers appear to be more influenced by prior industry work experience rather than being a PhD or postdoc.
These 1998 data are based on the Fall 1997 recruiting activities which involved 60 companies, consisting of 48% pharmaceutical, 47% chemical/manufacturing, 5% management consulting. The 1998 Fall recruiting currently involves 61 companies, consisting of 54% pharmaceutical, 39% chemical/manufacturing, 5% management consulting, and 2% legal consulting.
Marie-Thérèse Kouo, Personnel Administrator, Department of Chemistry
You can search by faculty member or by institution. Go to the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Web page at: http://libraries.mit.edu/science/Subjects/Chemistry/top.html to use the Directory. Please note that this resource is only available through the computers in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and MIT Libraries.
WebBarton is available at http://libraries.mit.edu/barton. The web interface of the catalog is still developing, and you should check the list of known problems on the above page. If you have any comments or problems please let me know. The latest new book list of Chemistry and chemical engineering books from Aug 16 to Sep 30, 1998 are at http://libraries.mit.edu/science/Subjects/Chemistry/news.html. Contact Erja Kajosalo with any questions: email: kajosalo@mit.edu
Please be advised that again this year MARSHA MYLES is the Department Solicitor. United Way pledge packets have already been sent to one-half of the MIT community (distributed early by MIT Mail Services). Over the next week or two you will receive a letter from Marsha. In the meantime, please direct any contributions to her attention (M. Myles,18-284). Or, contributions may of course be sent directly to the United Way Office, Room 50-005.
If you are interested in finding out more about predoctoral fellowships in biological sciences, research training fellowships for the medical sciences and or postdoctoral research fellowships for physicians, then find this address on the internet: www.hhmi.org/fellowships. The site includes downloading applications. You may also call Ms. Trish Anderson, senior secretary for the graduate education program at (301) 215-8884 or fax your request to (301) 215-8888 or send email to: hhmi.org
The Honorable François Bujon de l'Estang, Ambassador of France to the United States announces the opening of the 1999-2000 Chateaubriand Fellowship Program in Science and Technology. The Embassy of France's Office of Science and Technology offers a number of doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships to American scientists and engineers interested in conducting research in a French university, school of engineering, public or private laboratory. Beginning in September of a calendar year, fellowships are available for 6 or 12 month periods, with a monthly stipend of 1800 for doctoral fellows and 2200 dollars for postdoctoral fellows, plus roundtrip airfare and health insurance. Check their website at: http://www.chateaubriand.amb-wash.fr , or contact: Embassy of France, Office of Science and Technology, Chateaubriand Fellowship Program, 4101 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, D.C. 20007-2176. Email: chateaubriand@amb-wash.fr
Please note, unless otherwise specified, most faculty positions require a resume, short description of research plans and to arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the specific university or college.
West Chester University, West Chester, PA: A forensic chemist for 1999 is sought. The candidate will have to teach forensic chemistry courses and to establish a vigorous research program. Please send materials by December 15th: to: Dr. Helen Reid, Chemistry Search Committee, Chemistry Dept. West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19388.
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA: Chemists in the areas of organic and physical are available. Please send materials to: Dept. of Chemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-1030.
Iowa State University, Ames Iowa: Seeks inorganic chemist broadly defined. Please contact: Professor Robert J. Angelici, Inorganic Search, Dept. of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 50011-3111.
Columbia University, New York City: Seeks experimental physical chemist to begin July 1, 1999. Send materials by November 15th to: Faculty Search Committee, Chemistry Dept. Mail Code: 3169, Havemeyer Hall, Columbia University, NY 10027.
University of Missouri-Rolla: Seeks Chairman of Chemistry Department, candidates should have international research reputation, a commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching, graduate teaching, research and the promise of progressive leadership. Send application: to Human Resource Services, Reference Number R52863, University of Missouri-Roll, 1201 North Bishop, 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, MO 06409-1050.
University of Western Ontario, London Ontario: analytical, organic or theoretical chemist. Check website at: www.uwo.ca/chem or more information
Columbia University: post-doctoral candidates to do interdisciplinary work at Columbia University in physical chemistry projects for two areas: basic studies of environmentally related surface chemistry on model metal oxide surfaces, and in the chemical physics of reaction dynamics on semiconductor surfaces. The candidates should have a strong experimental background in state-resolved laser techniques and/or in surface science. The work, which is focused by major new NSF centers in 1) environmental chemistry and 2) advanced material research, and would involve collaborative research among several research groups at Columbia. Please fax your resumes including the names of three senior faculty scientists familiar with your capabilities to Ms. Teresa Colaizzo at the Columbia Radiation Laboratory, 530 West 120th Street, rm. 1001, New York, NY 10027. Fax # 212-854-1909. Columbia University is an equal opportunity employer.
Postdoctoral Position -- Unimolecular Reaction Mechanisms/Analytical Applications of Ion Scattering. A postdoctoral position is available immediately in the lab of Scott Anderson at the University of Utah. The experiment combines a flow tube reactor with a tandem guided ion beam mass spectrometer to study the unimolecular decomposition mechanisms of strained high-energy-density molecules (e.g. cubanes, quadricyclanes, bicyclobutanes). Ab initio calculations are carried out to aid interpretation. A secondary goal of the experiments is to test applications of low energy guided ion beam scattering to analytical mass spectrometry, and resolution of strained and chiral isomers will be investigated. More information on the instrument can be found in Int. J. Mass Spectrom. Ion Proc. 167/168 (1997) 269, or at the following web address: www.chem.utah.edu/chemistry/faculty/anderson/anderson.html. More information can be found in preprints, available upon request. Experience with ion beams or mass spectrometry is helpful, however, the most important criterion is creativity. The initial appointment will be for one year, and is renewable for a second year based on progress and availability of funds. Qualified women and minority candidates is encouraged. Please send a CV and arrange for three letters of recommendation to sent to: Prof. Scott L. Anderson, Chemistry Dept., University of Utah, 315 S. 1400 E., Salt Lake City, UT 84112.
IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE Postdoctoral Research Associate Applications are invited for a research associateship on an EPSRC funded research project on: Time-Resolved Photoluminescence studies of Light-Emitting Polymers. Candidates must have laser experience with a PhD in a Physical Science and experience of optical spectroscopy of molecular materials or semiconductors is desirable. The appointment is for one year initially, with the possibility of extending to two years. Salary will be on the RA1A scale + London allowances. Applicants should send a CV with the names of two referees to: Dr. G. Rumbles, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AY, UK.
Postdoctoral Position in Molecular Studies of Semiconductor processing A postdoctoral position is available in my research group at Stanford University in the area of semiconductor surface chemistry and semiconductor processing. The research will focus on in situ optical spectroscopic studies of chemical vapor deposition, chemical etching, and surface modification of group IV semiconductors. Techniques such as MIR-FTIR spectroscopy and REMPI are combined with mass spectrometry, scanning probe microscopy, and surface analytical techniques to investigate the reaction mechanisms, kinetics, and dynamics of these processes at the molecular level. Applicants should submit a resume and have two letters of recommendation sent to Prof. Stacey Bent, Department of Chemical Engineering, 381 North-South Mall, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5025, or e-mail: stacey.bent@stanford.edu.
Applications are invited for a post doc to work with Professor Todd B. Marder on the synthesis of transition metal boryl [LnM(BR2)m] and related complexes, explorations of their reactivity with unsaturated organic substrates, and on developing new catalyst systems for the addition of B-B and other B-X bonds to organics. (See for example: Chem. Commun., (1998-1983; Topics in Catalysis, 5, (1998) 63; J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans., (1998) 301, and references therein). Experience in the synthesis and characterisation of air sensitive compounds is required, and the desire and ability to assist in the supervision of new postgraduate students would be an advantage. The successful applicant will work in a new well-equipped laboratory. There may also be opportunities to travel to other laboratories in conjunction with collaborative aspects of our work on boron chemistry. Informal inquiries can be made to Professor Todd B. Marder, Department of Chemistry, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK, tel: +44-191-374-3137, fax: +44-191-386-1127, e-mail: Todd.Marder@durham.ac.uk.