Chemformation
Chemformation
Volume 16, Number 22
Friday, June 23, 2000
Chemformation is published by the Office of the Department Chairman. Please convey items of interest (or mailing list changes) to Liz McGrath, Room 18-390, Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617/253-4080; 617/258-7500 (fax) or e-mail to emg@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/.
Announcements
Daytona Beach Community College, Florida is sponsoring a seminar series for the 2000-2001 academic year. Subjects of current interest include ‚ hepatitis C, pesticides and the environment, cancer, genetic basis of disease, nuclear power, science and the job market, alternative energy sources, recent advances in medicinal chemistry, biophysics, recombinant DNA, astronomy, cloning, etc. Interested speakers should pick up an application form from Chemistry Headquarters. The deadline for submitting applications is September 1, 2000.
The Women in Chemistry group invites all members of the Chemistry Department to "Careers in Chemistry", a series of informal discussions with women in various chemistry-related fields. The aim of these discussions is to explore a range of professions, the training and background that they require, opportunities for growth in these fields, and insights on unifying a fulfilling family life with a satisfying career.
June 29, 2000 (7:00 pm, 4-163)
Sponsored by:
MIT Women in Chemistry
MIT Department of Chemistry
MIT Graduate Student Council
Gifts Office of the MIT Libraries: With the impending moves associated with the renovation of Building 18, the Gifts Office of the MIT Libraries may be able to assist faculty and staff of the Chemistry Department in the disposition of any books or journals no longer needed. The office will be happy to discuss arrangements for donations and pick up materials at your convenience.
In general, the office is always interested in donations of materials that may fill gaps in collections. If materials can not be used within the Librariesí collections, they will be sold in the MIT community book sale or to dealers who specialize in used materials. All proceeds received from the sale of donated materials are added to the Librariesí book preservation fund. For further information please contact Charlene Follett of the Gifts Office to arrange a pickup. She can be reached by telephone (x3-5693) or e-mail <gifts-lib@mit.edu> .
Faculty Positions
Applications for most faculty positions should consist of a curriculum vitae, outline of research interests, and three letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the specific university or college. You will find more detailed information regarding these and other positions in a binder located at departmental headquarters.
Post Doctoral Positions
ExxonMobil Corporate Research Laboratories, Clinton, NJ seeks candidates for a postdoctoral research appointment in Fundamental Kinetics of Catalytic Reactions. The successful candidate will be in charge of several new lab reactor systems that enable time-resolved measurements of catalytic reactions under a variety of conditions. The aim is to investigate kinetics of fundamental reaction steps on well defined, both real and model, catalyst systems. Publication of a significant portion of the work is expected. Candidates should have experience in one or more of the following areas: chemical kinetics, surface chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis, catalysis in microporous materials, chemical engineering, mass spectroscopy, isotope labeling studies, and kinetic modeling. Apply immediately to: Richard B. Hall, Program Leader, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, Corporate Research Laboratories, RT 22E, Annandale, NJ 08801; e-mail: rbhall@erenj.com
Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium seeks a postdoctoral candidate for a period of twelve months starting in the Fall. The work will be part of a program on the fundamental aspects of transport and reactive processes. The project focuses on the physics of non-equilibrium and time-dependent phenomena, whose analysis and interpretation are based on the development of nonlinear dynamical models of transport and reactions in microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic physico-chemical systems. Current research areas include the modeling of nanostructures and dynamical processes on surfaces, nonlinear kinetics in low dimensions, coupled reactive-hydrodynamic processes under extreme conditions, and chaotic dynamics in microscopic particle systems. The research conducted in the group combines theoretical analysis and computer simulations. Applicants must have citizenship outside the European Union. Apply to Jean Pierre Boon, Campus Plaine -- CP 231, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium; tel: +32-2-650.55.27; e-mail: jpboon@ulb.ac.be; fax: +32-2-650.57.67; http://poseidon.ulb.ac.be.
Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co. Limited, Tokyo, Japan seeks a postdoctoral fellow to join their R & D laboratory for a period of 2-3 years. The research project involves chemical process studies of the intermediates or the drug substances of the product or the development product of Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co. Interested applicants should apply to: Dr. Kazuaki Kanai, Senior Researcher, Chemical Research Center, Chemical Technology Research Laboratories, Tokyo R&D Center, Daiichi Pharamaceutical Co. Ltd., 16-13 Kita-Kasai, 1-Chome, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 133-8630, Japan; fax: +81-3-3680-0151.
University of California at Davis, California: The Department of Chemistry has several postdoctoral positions available. Graduate student research assistantships (Ph.D in Chemistry or Biophysics) are also available. The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation fund these positions. Research topics include:
- Metal-Nucleic Acid Interactions: Pulsed EPR spectroscopies (ENDOR and ESEEM) are being used to characterize paramagnetic metal (Mn(II) etc.) binding sites of structured RNA molecules, including several catalytic ribozymes.
- Redox-Active Manganese Enzymes: Dual Mode CW-EPR and pulsed EPR spectroscopies are being used to investigate the physical and electronic structures of Mn ions and clusters involved in redox catalysis, with an emphasis on the water splitting tetranuclear Mn cluster of Photosystem II. ESEEM and ENDOR methods are also being employed to characterize amino acid, substrate, cofactor and inhibitor ligation to the Mn cluster.
- Tyrosine Radicals in Catalysis: Time-resolved and Pulsed EPR methods are being used to investigate the roles of the redox active tyrosines Y D and Y Z in Photosystem II, with an emphasis on understanding the role of Y Z and its involvement with the Mn cluster in facilitating electron-coupled proton transfer in the water oxidation cycle. Dual mode EPR and time resolved EPR spectroscopies are being used to investigate the possibility of tyrosine radical formation coupled to the oxygen reduction chemistry of cytochrome c oxidase.
- EPR Instrumentation and Techniques: A laboratory-built 8-18 GHz pulsed EPR spectrometer for ESEEM, ENDOR, and time-resolved EPR is currently being used.
A new instrument building phase with the construction of a unique all-solid-state 31 GHz pulsed EPR spectrometer is underway. Pulsed parallel polarization EPR spectroscopy designed to characterize ESEEMand ENDOR spectra of integer spin Mn centers is being implemented.
Interested applicants should contact: Prof. R. David Britt Department of Chemistry, fax: (530) 752-8995; e-mail: rdbritt@ucdavis.edu.
Tufts University: Department of Chemistry is seeking a suitable candidate for an immediate postdoctoral opening. The project involves nonlinear spectroscopy to probe polycrystalline solid surfaces interacting with either gas-phase species or liquid solutions. This is an extension of previous work using SFG to unravel issues on liquid surfaces. Two laser systems are currently operating in the laboratory: a nanosec. YAG, OPO/OPA system and a psec YAG OPG?OPA system. The preferred candidate will have experience with psec or faster lasers or the ability to quickly learn this technology. Apply to: Professor Mary Jane Shultz, Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155; e-mail: Mary.Shultz@tufts.edu. For more details about recent research, list of publications and abstracts of recent papers, visit the web site at: www.tufts.edu/~dsimonel/index.html.
California Institute of Technology has a postdoctoral fellowship available in the field of Environmental Chemistry. The position is open to a recent physical chemistry Ph.D. with a strong background in fundamental physical chemistry, e.g. reaction dynamics, laser spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy, aerosol chemistry, and gas phase kinetics, who is interested in applying their skills in environmental chemistry. Research opportunities in the laboratories of Professors Janet Hering, Mitchio Okumura, and Paul Wennberg span the departments of Chemistry, Geochemistry, and Environmental Engineering and Science. Research areas include laboratory experiments on the kinetics of radical-radical reactions and photochemistry, field measurements of nitric acid aerosols, and mass spectrometric studies of aquatic chemistry, and scanning probe microscopy of mineral weathering. The position provides the postdoctoral fellow extensive latitude in developing a research program among the three groups, as well as opportunities to broaden her or his background in environmental science. Contact: Ms Lena Lenore, Chemistry Dept., MC 127-72, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; e-mail: lenore@its.caltech.edu.
Other Job Listings
Center for Nanotechnology, University of Washington, Seattle seeks a Ph.D.-level research scientist to run a shared user facility. Starting December 2000, the group will operate a powerful and unique new instrument which includes a variable-temperature (30-1000 K), ultra-high vacuum, scanning probe microscope (AFM and STM) with facilities for vapor deposition (both separate and simultaneous with AFM or STM) and for surface spectroscopic analyses, including XPS, ISS, and LEED. The research scientist will have full responsibility for keeping the instrument operational, modifying the instrument for special needs of the faculty and student users, and training/supervising students and post-doctoral fellows performing research on the instrument. The research scientist should also be capable of, and interested in, collaborating with the participating faculty investigators on microscope-based research projects. The group’s principal scientific focus is heteroepitaxy of dissimilar materials, with emphasis on systems in which at least one constituent is a wide-band-gap or insulating material.
Systems currently under study include metal films/particles on ZnO, MgO and TiO2, Si/CaF2 interfaces, GaxSey film growth on Si, GaAs and Al2O3; and H2O(ice) film growth on metals and ice. Of particular interest are the connections between growth kinetics, energetics, film morphology, and film properties. The position is 60% time and includes a small equipment/supplies budget. During the other 40% time, the candidate may pursue individual interests, including research, teaching and/or consulting. A Ph.D. in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field is required. Additional work experience beyond the Ph.D. is preferred. The successful candidate must have experience with ultra-high vacuum (UHV) surface analytical experiments and scanning probe microscopy (SPM), with direct UHV-SPM experience preferred. The successful candidate should also have direct experience with at least two of the following (more preferred): XPS, LEED, ISS, TPD, vacuum cryogenics, molecular or chemical beam epitaxy, commissioning or building UHV analytical equipment, or equivalent experience. Apply to: Linda Rose Nelson, Administrator, Department of Physics, Box 351560, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1560; specific questions may be directed to Prof. Sam Fain; fain@phys.washington.edu;tel: 206-543-8444 or Prof. Charles Campbell; campbell@chem.washington.edu; tel: 206-616-6085; website: http://faculty.washington.edu/fain/research.html .
D.P. Parker and Associates (Member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants) is conducting a search for a Senior Scientist-Pulp and Paper and a Senior Scientist-Lubricants in the Additives Division of a specialty chemicals company in the Northeast. The Additives Division focuses on developing stabilizers that prolong the lifetime of varied polymeric materials, coatings and lubricants. The research is directed at developing novel, proprietary products that will be effective in customer applications. The work focuses on a broad spectrum of synthetic organic chemistry; e.g. hindered phenols, phosphites, hydroxylamines, lactones, hydroxybenzotriazoles, aromatic amines and hindered amines are some of the product classes. The ideal candidates will have a Ph.D. in organic, physical organic or polymer synthetic chemistry; strong academic credentials; and a proven track record of technical accomplishments. Specific experience in molecular design, synthesis and characterization of organic molecules and/or polymers is required. For more information contact: Cynthia Ann Taylor; fax: (781) 237-4702 or e-mail: information@dpparker.com.
Sweet Revenge
