employment outlook
employment Demand
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Hiring of new graduates in 2001 is expected to be robust—barring a large economic downturn—but while competition for the best and the brightest will be strong, candidates will still have to work hard for just therightposition.
T
$ & < : • • •
outlook
he job outlook for 2001 is as good as it gets. Barring an un foreseen disaster in the U.S. economy that would reduce demand, chemists and chemi cal engineers graduating in 2001 will have a wide choice of exciting and re warding jobs. Hiring is projected to be strong in the pharmaceutical, biotech,
and bioinformatics areas. Indeed, the outlook is exuberant across all sectors of the chemical enterprise—industry, academia, and government. In this an nual special report, C&EN provides a series of stories designed to help the new graduate as well as the seasoned professional in the chemical sciences find or build a rewarding career.
Salaries & Jobs..... 47 . . . . . . .Page I Starting salaries have moved up sharply, and salaries of chemists compare favorably with those of oth er scientists. Unemployment, at 2%, is about half the national jobless rate.
Entrepreneurs
IPage
55
Κ you have a vision, technical exper tise, intestinal fortitude, and spunk, this may be the right time to start your own business. Successful en trepreneurs relate how they did it
Government Work.. . . ..Page 6 0 The current and projected shortag es of skilled science and technology workers places daunting recruiting challenges in front of government R&D managers. A government re search career is not for everyone, but if s nice work if you can get it, and you can get it if you try. Transition States . . . . . Page 65 Retirement can be the most exciting and rewarding period of your life, but it requiresfinancialand psycho logical planning. Recent retirees share their experiences on how they made this important transition. Career-Planning Resources
I .Page 68 With so many resources available and me explosion of Internet sites, where should job seekers begin? C&EN pro vides a guide to some of the sources of job and career information best suited to chemical scientists seeking jobs or changing careers. NOVEMBER 13, 2000 C&EN 37
employment. outlook
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eman Chemical employers are recruiting "aggressively" in a job market where demand is expected to exceed supply
On the industrial front, "the job mar ket is great in general and fantastic for graduates," according to James W. Brockington, director of university rela tions at Air Products & Chemicals. "The 'war for talent' is real—there's a huge demand for talented people. The high demand and number of open positions is making recruiting very challenging." "Based on my discussions with col leagues in the industry, the market will remain very strong again this year in both large and small pharmaceutical companies," states David M. Floyd, vice president of discovery chemistry at Bristol-Myers Squibb. "I think there's a general need for technically trained talent at all levels— from lab technicians to Ph.D.s—and the market for that talent is very tight," says Robert Parks, director of recruiting at Eli Lilly & Co. College placement directors are also predicting a banner hiring year. "We have 'engineering' companies on a wait ing list" for rooms, says Nancy A. Evans, director of the College of Engineering Career Assistance Center at the Univer sity of Texas, Austin. "I have 310 compa nies coming this fall [compared with 280 last year], but we'll probably end up with more than that." Oil companies, chemical companies, semiconductor companies, and consulting firms are among those recruiting for all types of engineering graduates, she says. "According to company representa tives, there are numerous positions to be
and academic job markets are good," as serts Judith P. Klinman, chairman of the chemistry department at the University hemists and chemical engineers of California, Berkeley. "I've spoken graduating in 2001 can count with many job recruiters visiting Berke themselves lucky. For the fourth ley, and they say there are often more consecutive year, following its vigorous positions than people they can recruit." 1998 rebound from the dismal hiring The academic market seems to be years of the early 1990s, the job market strong also, she says. looks rosy. Indeed, the academic market is In academia, retirements, reloca "highly competitive," affirms John D. Si tions, and expansions continue to open mon, chairman of the chemistry depart up slots. In industry, demand for ment at Duke University. 'There are chemical professionals is being driven precious few top people out there, and by dual needs. One is to "fill in gaps many schools are trying to hire." that occurred as a result of downsiz In chemical engineering, the academ ing, streamlining, and reconfiguring in ic job market "is the best IVe seen in 10 recent years," says James D. Burke, years," says Timothy A. Barbari, chair manager of research recruiting and man of the department of chemical engi university relations at Rohm and Haas. neering at the University of Maryland. The other is to ensure sufficient tech "Every school seems to be hiring, and nical staff to accelerate growth in new many have two or three positions to fill." technologies. Indeed, unless ruffled by an unex pected economic downturn, the job market in 2001 will be intensely active— so active, in fact, that recruiters are pre dicting that demand for chemical pro fessionals will exceed the supply, espe cially for the top candidates. Faintly shadowing the economic ho rizon is the question of whether high oil prices might dampen demand. "Compa nies tend to become overly responsive in the face of uncertainty," Burke notes. But most likely, oil prices will level off because "oil-producing countries don't really want to be associated with having caused a recession," he says. 'They're looking—not for maximum—but for op timum price. And if that holds true, then I think the economy will continue to move along and companies will contin ue to pursue their strategic recruiting plans and avoid tactical responses to short-term economic stimuli." Computational chemistry and modeling researchers analyze the "My sense is that both the industrial of a drug with a target enzyme. Mairin B. Brennan C&EN Washington
C
38
NOVEMBER 13,2000 C&EN
interaction
- rounding out P&G's advancedfilled," observes Mary Kay Sodegree hiring needs. renson, chemistry career serC&EN's help-wanted ads soar At the B.S. and M.S. level, vices coordinator at the Union-campus recruiting will be versity of Wisconsin, MadiVolume of "positions open" advertising, column-inches a 2,500 strong and "very selective," son. "And many recruiters says Shelly M. Helser, P&G's seem optimistic that this senior manager for research trend will continue, at least and product development refor the next few years." Madi2,000 * cruiting. Still, hiring will be son's chemistry graduates down from last year, when the find positions in the pharmacompany brought in 300 B.S.ceutical, health care prodand M.S.-level engineers and ucts, and petrochemical inTotal 1,500 200 B.S.- and M.S.-level science dustries, she says, as well as graduates, including chemistry in a variety of other areas. graduates. The hiring reduc"The traditional chemical tion is a result of P&G restruccompanies say they wish they 1,000 turing its businesses, she exhad twice as many candiplains. The company's online dates," notes Rebecca Paulrecruiting site has been tremening, personnel analyst at j Academic dously successful in speeding Berkeley. "And companies 500 up the recruiting process for that haven't recruited here in B.S. and M.S. chemists, Helser almost 10 years are recruiting notes. 'We have found Internet again." recruiting to be crucial in a According to C&EN's traο competitive market," she adds. ditional measures—the vol2000 1997 1998 1999 Dow is recruiting heavily ume of advertising in the a Column-inches published during consecutive periods of four weeks each on campus, says John Macmagazine for "positions Kinnon, who manages the open" and recruiting activity at the American Chemical Society's na- job openings on the Internet, or mining company's R&D recruiting program for North America. As part of its "aggrestional meetings—the demand for chem- various websites for résumés. ical professionals is gaining momen"DuPont has been posting positions sive" hiring program, Dow is also retum. The volume of advertising for both and accepting résumés through its Web cruiting at chemistry and chemical engiindustrial and academic positions has page (http://www.dupont.com/ca neering conferences as well as at sciincreased, reflecting the apparent abun- reers), the most visited page of the du- ence conferences held by minority dance of positions. At ACS's national pont.com website," notes Albert S. Tarn, groups. 'We pick up a lot of excellent meeting in Washington, D.C., in Au- the company's Ph.D. and science re- candidates" at these events, he says. gust, the society's National Employ- cruiting consultant. The goal is to comDow "has entered into an exciting ment Clearing House bustled with activ- plement campus recruiting and reach new phase of its strategic transformaity. The number of interviews conduct- experienced candidates, he explains. tion and is focusing on accelerating ed (3,479) was the highest on record for DuPont's campus recruiting is in full growth," MacKinnon adds. "And that any of the national meetings in at least a swing, with hiring expected to be com- growth requires an increase in talent, so decade, says Jean A. Parr, head of ACS's parable with 2000. The company is look- the company is 'putting its money Department of Career Services. In all, ing for graduates in chemistry, bio- where its mouth is' in saying, We need 156 employers interviewed 1,057 candi- chemistry, biology, agronomy, plant sci- more people.' " Hiring for both B.S. and dates for 1,616 potential slots. ence, and physics (mainly at the Ph.D. Ph.D. chemists is targeted to increase All these indicators point to a poten- level) and for graduates in chemical, 50% in 2001 over 2000,150% for B.S. and tial plentitude of positions in 2001, even mechanical, and other engineering M.S. chemical engineers, and 90% for though some companies have reduced fields (largely at the B.S. and M.S. Ph.D. chemical engineers, he says. Chemical specialties in demand include their hiring quota from what it was in levels). 2000. But Burke offers a word of cauProcter & Gamble is recruiting on materials scientists, materials modeltion: "This may be a year of better-than- campus and also panning the company's ers, polymer engineers and scientists, average opportunity," he says, "but jobs online recruiting resource (http:// and scientists with backgrounds in biowon't fall into graduates' laps. They will www.pg.com/careers/applynow) for pro- technology and bioinformatics. have to work hard to get a good job and spective hires. Recruiting for Ph.D. candiAir Products is on campus, recruiting to make sure they are getting the 'right' dates will be strong, albeit down slightly in particular for interns and co-op stujob." That part of the job search equa- from last year, when roughly 70 Ph.D. dents who ultimately may join the comtion never changes, he warns. chemists, life scientists, medical scien- pany's career development program. tists, biostatisticiags, and engineers were Also on its hiring list are Ph.D.s in physiLarge companies brought on board, says Ron Webb, cal and synthetic organic chemistry. The Traditional on-campus recruiting is P&G's senior manager for doctoral re- company is "using new approaches, inunder way, and it's vibrant. But many re- cruiting. The most sought-after Ph.D. cluding extensive use of the Internet, for cruiters are casting their hiring net far- chemists will be analytical, with life scien- recruiting experienced engineers and scither afield, attending job fairs, posting tists, medical specialists, and engineers entists," Brockington says. NOVEMBER 13,2000 C&EN
39
employment
outlook
"The need for additional Air Products "continues to chemistry staff remains strong look for diverse candidates— 2000 was a banner year for ACS's within the new Pfizer," Mc not just diverse in gender or National Employment Clearing House Carthy says, "but our precise race, but diverse in thought," Potential Interviews Total hiring targets are currently be Brockington says. "It recogniz candidates Employer!ι openings scheduled ing defined. Nonetheless, we do es that different perspectives 1995 plan on hiring Ph.D., M.S., and can make employee teams— na 1,073 101 Anaheim 1,098 B.S. chemists at all three of our and the company—stronger 127 1,904 na 1,588 Chicago U.S. sites during the coming and more successful." 1996 year." Much of the recruiting for Eastman Chemical plans to 1,527 1,217 480 B.S. and M.S. chemists is done New Orleans 133 fill more than 50 positions, the 494 127 1,469 856 Orlando on a regional basis, he notes. majority of which are for chem Lilly plans to hire synthetic ical engineers, notes R Doug 1997 organic, medicinal, and formu las Bounds, manager of staff 2,395 729 1,374 San Francisco 196 lation chemists, Parks indi ing. Overall hiring is down a bit 1,021 154 1,996 549 Las Vegas cates. "From our company's from 2000, as Eastman "pro 1998 perspective, we don't need as cesses" acquisitions made in 164 967 2,405 Dallas 1,039 many analytical chemists." the past year, he says. "But we 3,141 1,637 1,168 Boston 228 continue to see an ongoing Parks was one of several re 1999 need for new engineers." cruiters from both chemical 118 1,628 2,178 Anaheim 1,018 and pharmaceutical companies Chemical and pharmaceuti 134 964 829 3,049 New Orleans who indicated to C&EN that a calfirmBayer plans to hire a to 2000 shortage of Η-IB visas—which tal of roughly 100 new gradu 3,367 1,052 1,069 San Francisco 169 permit qualified foreign nation ates in science and engineering 1,616 3,479 Washington, D.C. 1,057 156 als to work in the U.S.—some at the M.S. and Ph.D. levels, ac times prevents U.S. firms from cording to Clayton E. Miller, na = not available. Source: American Chemical Society Department of Career Services accessing "the best technical manager of professional staff minds in the world." A law ing. The company seldom hires passed last month (C&EN, B.S. chemists, he says, and when it does, they are hired to supervise nal chemistry is high, with starting sala Oct. 9, page 42) increased the number of lab technicians. ries continuing their steady increase Η-IB visas to 195,000 for each of the next "Demand right now exceeds supply," over previous years," Bristol-Myers' three years. Without the law, the number Miller contends, "and colleagues that I Floyd notes. "There is also a robust would have been 107,500 for the fiscal speak to at other corporations are experi need for analytical chemists with train year that began Oct. 1 and 65,000 in sub encing the same problem." Graduates in ing or experience in high-throughput sequent years. Despite the increase, re the biomedical sciences are easier to find automated systems." Chemists with ex cruiters expect the visas to be exhausted than graduates in chemistry or engineer perience in applying parallel synthesis by February or March, leaving compa ing, he observes, in part because fewer methods to medicinal chemistry will nies unable to hire foreign nationals for students are going into chemistry and en have many opportunities, he says. And several months until the next round is gineering. According to datafromthe Na the expertise of computational chemists issued. tional Science Foundation, the number of is needed in helping develop computa Η-IB visas are issued for up to three graduate students in chemistry declined tional tools that "more accurately pre years and may be extended to six. At the steadily from 1994 to 1999. And the num dict the physical and pharmacological end of the six years, foreign nationals ber of graduate students in engineering properties of molecules" to quickly who have not obtained permanent resi fell every year from 1993 to 1998, revers identify those with the potential to be dence status must leave the U.S. for one ing this downtrend in 1999. 'We're find come candidates for drug development. year before another Η-IB visa can be ap ing that students who do major in engi Pfizer, which acquired Warner-Lam proved. "We remain hopeful that the neering are going toward the 'biotrack,' bert in June, currently is integrating the federal government will expand the an and our needs are more on the classical research arms of both companies into nual quota for permanent residency ap engineering side," Miller says. Computer Pfizer Global Research & Development provals to keep pace with the quota in engineering and software design are also (PGRD), notes Peter A. McCarthy, se creases for Η-IB visas," says James J. siphoning from the classic engineering nior executive director for discovery re Grates, vice president of human re pool, he observes. Bayer looks mostly for search. 'This is an exciting time," Mc sources at Albany Molecular Research, Ph.D. "generalists" who want to work in Carthy says. "We feel the new Pfizer has Albany, N.Y. Failure to do so "will result research, he says.. in a loss of considerable talent that much to offer chemists at all levels." could otherwise contribute to the U.S. PGRD, which will be headquartered in At major pharmaceutical firms, syn thetic organic and medical chemists re New London, Conn., has research facilities economy," he contends. main a hot commodity. However, com at Groton, Coring Ann Arbor, Mich.; La Jolputational, analytical, and formulation la, Calif; in the U.K.; France; and Japan. Midsize firms Midsize pharmaceutical companies chemists are also high on the list of spe The company is recruiting for Ph.D. chem ists at campuses across the U.S. as well as also are on the hiring bandwagon. Vertex cialty chemists in demand. "The market for Ph.D., M.S., and in Europe and Japan to identify candidates Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, Mass., for B.S. chemists in synthetic and medici- interested in U.S. positions and vice versa. example, "is hiring aggressively" both in 40
NOVEMBER 13, 2000 C&EN
Software tools enhance molecular modeling.
small—are using stock options, sign-on bonuses, and relocation packages to sweeten deals," he says. "For many small companies, experience is a commodity they cannot take time to grow," he continues. "So the approach is to steal it away from big pharma. As a result, there is a continuing exodus of capable people from big pharma R&D units. The packages for these folks can be Courtesy of Pharmacopeia quite impressive. But one of the the U.S. and the U.K., where it has re problems small companies have is that search facilities near Oxford, says Mi their staff can't pay the rent with op chael S. Walsh, vice president of human tions. Since the life of the company is on resources. The company is recruiting for the line if they don't get staff, they often "talented chemists, X-ray crystallogra- pay [princely] salaries to get people to phers, protein biochemists, enzymolo- come." Small companies offer informal gists, and biologists" for its "chemogen- atmospheres, the opportunity to build ics" drug discovery approach, he says. something from nothing, and the poten That approach is based on harnessing tial for high rewards, he notes. But they genomic information to develop drugs. also are high-risk and demand lengthy Vertex also recruits through its website workdays. (http://www.vertexcareers.com) and ac According to the U.S. Bureau of La cepts online applications. bor Statistics, the number of chemists 'There is fierce competition to hire or employed in the drug industry will be ganic chemists in the pharmaceutical in up 12.9% in 2008 compared with a de dustry in general and in the biotech area cade earlier (15,440 in 2008 versus especially," says an R&D scientist at an 13,676 in 1998). But the number em other midsize pharmaceutical company ployed in chemical and allied industries who asked not to be identified. 'The dis overall in 2008 (30,752) will fall slightly tinction is largely one of 'big pharma' and short of the number for 1998 (30,804). In fact, chemical employment in most everyone else. All companies—large and
of these industries is projected to de crease substantially over the decade, off set by the growth in employment in the drug industry component. At the same time, the number of chemists employed in service industries will soar 50.8%, from 28,341 in 1998 to 42,738 in 2008; the num ber employed in research and testing fa cilities (contract, outsourcing, and analyt ical testing labs, among others) will esca late a whopping 73.7%—from 14,647 in 1998 to 25,443 in 2008. "We need to be able to cope with this overall growth" in service facilities, MacKinnon states. "Dow's contract manufacturing services business has seen double-digit growth in the past couple of years," he notes. "So there's a significant increase in hiring within that business." "The accelerated rate of drug discov ery has created a greater demand for contract chemistry services," maintains Albany Molecular's Grates. 'The contin ued growth and success of the biotech industry, technologies such as combina torial chemistry and high-throughput screening techniques, and the Human Genome Project continue to result in numerous drug leads being developed. In general, we find that [many] compa nies are 'idea rich and resource poor,' " relying on service facilities to fill an as sortment of needs. Albany Molecular provides custom synthesis, R&D, and analytical services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in addition to conducting pro-
Number of graduate science students studying chemistry down six years straight Annual change Thousands
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
289.5 299.2 312.6 319.1 126.1 132.1 139.3 143.4 50.0 51.8 54.2 56.5 5.2 5.4 5.0 5.5 54.0 54.6 56.7 56.2 34.1 34.7 35.3 35.3 19.1 19.4 19.9 20.1 14.1 14.1 13.8 13.8 15.7 14.0 14.5 15.3 11.3 11.5 11.8 12.0
318.4 143.7 58.2 5.6 53.8 34.4 19.8 13.2 16.0 12.3
315.4 143.0 58.8 5.6 52.0 33.4 19.6 12.4 15.7 12.5
312.0 141.7 58.2 5.3 52.6 32.3 19.3 11.7 15.2 12.0
306.6 139.2 57.1 5.1 52.7 31.1 18.8 11.1 14.6 11.9
305.0 136.6 57.1 5.2 54.5 30.6 18.5 10.8 14.3 11.9
309.9 136.9 57.3 5.1 58.9 30.7 18.4 10.9 14.1 12.0
1.1% 1.6% 0.2 1.4 0.4 1.6 -1.9 0 8.1 1.3 0.3 -0.9 -0.2 -0.5 -2.2 0.9 0.4 -1.4 0.7 0.8
104.0 107.6 113.6 118.0 116.8 6.7 7.1 7.4 6.5 7.5 K 5.4 5.2 4.6 4.9 5.5
113.0 7.6 5.2
107.2 7.4 4.9
103.2 7.4 4.7
101.1 7.2 4.6
100.0 7.1 4.6
101.5 6.8 4.5
1.5 -42 -2.2
-Ό.2 0.5 -0.2
1.6%
0.7%
1989
ALL SCIENCES 278.6 119.7 Psychology & social sciences Biological sciences 48.8 Biochemistry 5.1 51.7 Math & computer sciences Physical sciences 33.6 Chemistry 18.8 13.6 Physics Earth, atmos. & ocean sciences 13.6 11.2 Agricultural sciences ALL ENGINEERING Chemical engineering Metallurgical & materials TOTAL ANNUAL CHANGE
1990
1991
1992
1993
382.6 397.1 412.8 430.6 435.9 431.4 422.6 415.2 407.7 405.0 411.4 1.9% 3.8% 4.0% 4.3% 1.2% -1.0% -2.0% -1.8% -1.8% -0.7% 1.6%
1998-99
1989-99
Source: National Science Foundation, 2000 "Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering: Fall 1999"
NOVEMBER 13, 2000 C&EN 4 1
employment
outlook
Degrees in informatics take hold Pharmaceutical industries are contending with an explosion in data generated by combinatorial chemistry and the avalanche of information spilling from the Human Genome Project. Making sense of it all is a formidable task—one that's crying out for more scientists well versed in bio- and cheminformatics. "Perhaps the area where there is the most profound shortage of skilled staff is in bioinformatics and related data and information management services," asserts David M. Floyd, vice president for discovery chemistry at Bristol-Myers Squibb. "The best definition I have come across for bioinformatics is 'computational biology,' " contends Edward T. Maggio, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Structural Bioinformatics Inc., San Diego, Calif. As such, "it encompasses storage, retrieval, and analysis of gene sequence, biological, pharmacological, and structural data; prediction of protein structure, function, and posttranslational modification; prediction of protein-protein interactions; and the design of new computational tools to exprietary research. Hiring will be about on par with 2000, when roughly 60 new scientists at all degree levels joined the company. The job market is "extremely competitive" for synthetic organic chemists, Grates says. Nevertheless, he believes the company will be able to "meet or exceed" its targeted needs. Analytical testing firm Lancaster Labs, Lancaster, Pa., is "growing in both its environmental and pharmaceutical services and anticipates needing more chemists than in past years," says Beth DiPaolo, recruiting and training group leader. As the largest analytical lab in a single location in the U.S., "we employ several analytical chemists," she adds. The company currently has 50 positions open for technical hires, including chemists, microbiologists, technicians, and other candidates with science-related backgrounds. Life Technologies, Frederick, Md., which Human Resources Manager Jeffrey A. Boyd calls the "Home Depot" of biotechnology firms, plans to make about 100 technical hires in 2001. The company, a division of Invitrogen Corp., San Diego, has biomanufacturing facilities in the U.S., Scotland, and New Zealand and research facilities in Rockville, Md., and San Diego. It supplies cell culture media, various custom products, and technical expertise and support to 42 NOVEMBER 13,2000 C&EN
tract new correlations from large data sets—to name just a few areas." At Structural Bioinformatics, biophysicists, physicists, computer modelers, mathematicians, protein modelers, and computational scientists in the bioinformatics area interact dairy with medicinal chemists, molecular biologists, protein chemists, and molecular pharmacologists. This trend represents a true revolution in the way science will be conducted" from now on, he says. Universities are stepping up to the challenge. Some schools already are offering courses in bioinformatics as part of a master's program in biotechnology, for example. But others are implementing, or have implemented, formal degrees in bioinformatics, some even at the undergraduate level. At Baylor University, Waco, Texas, for instance, a B.S. degree program in bioinformatics—one of the first in the world—started up three years ago. A collaborative effort between computer scientists and molecular biologists, the program attracted 15 students the first year, 50 the second, and 100 the third,
biotech and pharmaceutical firms. In addition to recruiting through its website (http://www.lifetech.com) and various Internet job sites, Life Technologies finds candidates "in today's job market—anywhere we can," Boyd says. Another company serving the needs of pharmaceutical and biotech industries is Molecular Simulations Inc., San Diego, Calif., which develops modeling and informatics software and other drug discovery tools for these industries. MSI, a division of Pharmacopeia, has "quite an aggressive hiring plan," according to Vice President of Human Resources Judith M. Ohrn. Computational chemists are the company's typical target, she says, but competent people are at a premium in many specialized areas, including, for example, accounting. "In some respects, it's just as hard to find a good administrator as it is to find good computational chemists." Also in the market for new technical staff in 2001 are oil companies. "Our overall hiring is on par with last y car," says David Blakemore, manager of employment and college relations at Phillips Petroleum. "We expect Protein crystal is positioned for X-ray diffraction studies.
says Benjamin S. Kelley, dean of the School of Engineering & Computer Science. The degree is somewhat akin to having a major in both computer science and molecular biology, he explains, and it requires an internship. At first "we thought, *What in the world are we going to do about internships? Where are we going to find them?' " Kelley says. But then "we've had places say, We'll take all your students.' " Biotech companies and medical research and teaching facilities—including Baylor School of Medicine, which houses one of the major sites for the Human Genome Project—were among facilities offering internships, he says. Baylor currently is designing a B.S. in cheminformatics that will be aimed at producing graduates who can help optimize the organization of chemical information. The program essentially will couple and bridge B.S. degrees in both chemistry and computer science, Kelley notes. The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia has just launched a master's degree in bioinformatics that links chemistry, computer science, and biolo-
keen competition on campus for those chemical engineers, petroleum engineers, and geoscientists that we typically recruit," he notes. 'Time will tell how successful we will be infillingour hiring needs for next year. It's a very competitive year again. I think the students will benefit from the competition for their talents." Blakemore notes that Phillips Petroleum and Chevron combined their chemical operations in 2000 (C&EN, Feb. 14, page 18), forming Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. The idea was "to create an extremely competitive, large, and diverse chemical operation which will compete with anyone in the world," he explains. Chevron Phillips will be hiring its own complement of chemistry
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gy, indicates Edward R. Birnbaum, chairman of die department of chemistry and biochemistry. An undergraduate degree in bioinformatics is slated to start up next fall. Graduates in various science disciplines are candidates for the master's program. "So I anticipate most will have
to take some additional undergraduate courses in order to complete die degree," Birnbaum says. For example, chemistry graduates may have to take computer science courses, and biology graduates may have to take chemistry and computer science courses, "unless mere's a surge in undergraduate programs developed around the country," he says. At Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, N.Y., a master's degree in informatics in chemistry and biology is awaiting state approval, notes Kalle M. J. Levon, chairman of the department of chemical engineering, chemistry, and materials science. "It is logical that a department with a strong program in polymer science would initiate such a degree to bridge with our computer science program," he says. "We have organized courses this fall in molecular modeling and simulations and in combinatorial chemistry and have classes full of students. We are looking forward to success in die field, and we're also looking for new hires in me field." Both bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical informatics are set to be offered by die School of Informatics at Indiana University next fall. Developed
and engineering graduates, Blakemore says. ExxonMobil's targeted hiring quota is the highest in a decade for the combined companies, according to Sharyl M. Hackett, campus relations and diversity manager. Among other graduates, the company plans to hire more than 180 chemical engineers "across all business units," she says.
Temporary employment Both new and experienced graduates continue to find employment through temporary agencies. Demand is greatest for chemists with a combination of laboratory, computer, business, and "relationship-building" skills, notes Rolf E. Kleiner, senior vice president and general manager of Kelly Scientific Resources (KSR) ,Troy,Mich. (http://www. kellyscientific.com). This is "particularly true for analytical chemists in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries," he says. However, he notes, they don't have to be "masters" of all these skills. But they need to be "competent' so companies can rapidly deploy resources and talent "to areas needing support or focus to drive the overall business objective," he says. That may mean working in a customer service team, for example, or in product development in a multidisciplinary team, he explains. Looking for-
jointly by IU's Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses, die master's degree has a prerequisite of "essentially" a bachelor's degree in chemistry, says Gary D. Wiggins, director of programs in bioinformatics and chemical informatics. "We hope to see people with advanced degrees in chemistry apply for this program as well." Graduate courses in chemical informatics will be offered by die chemistry department. A master's degree in bioinformatics will be offered at both campuses. Other schools also have started up master's degrees in bioinformatics or other such computational sciences (C&EN, May 29, page 65). Some chemical educators and chemical employers are concerned that these programs may draw talented students away from traditional chemistry programs, but others believe they will increase the number of students with expertise in chemistry by bringing biologists and computer scientists into the pool. Time will tell. Meanwhile, the approach to drug design is changing, new avenues are being pursued, and success will depend in part on increasing the pool of informatics-savvy scientists.
ward, he sees bioinformatics, proteomics, combinatorial chemistry, and clinical trials as the "areas of greatest interest from [KSR's] perspective." Finding work through a temporary agency can speed up a job search, according to Carrie S. Nebens, executive vice president of North America Operations for On Assignment, Calabasas, Calif. Nebens, an ACS member and a "chemist in my first life," says the traditional job search takes time. "We are able to shorten the timeline," she asserts, in many cases placing temporary workers with the companies they want to work for. On Assignment's Lab Support Division (http://www.labsupport.com) places chemists, biochemists, and a mix of other science graduates (mostly with B.S. degrees) in temporary positions in various pharmaceutical, biotech, food and beverage, petrochemical, and specialty lab and manufacturing companies. Since 1999, Lab Support has opened roughly a dozen offices in Europe—in the U.K., the Netherlands, and Belgium. The company has foyr offices in Canada. 'Temporary help is best served on a local market," Nebens observes. KSR has established an international presence also, with 14 offices distributed among Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Switzerland, and Australia. The
company also has an office in Puerto Rico. And by year-end, it plans to open up shop "in another European country," Kleiner says.
Academic hiring In the mid-1990s, when few professors were retiring and academic positions were scarce, the chairman of a chemistry department at a California university told C&EN that faculty members were not going to continue working until they were in their eighties. "People in their fifties [currently] constitute a very largefraction"of the academic population, he said. 'There will be a lot of academic jobs in the next 10 to 20 years. It's preprogrammed by biology." By most accounts, biology has kicked in early, and retirements are well under way. "My sense is that academic institutions are now beginning to feel the brunt of these predicted retirements," Rohm and Haas's Burke says. "Many faculty members who thought they would want to stay forever no longer feel that way." Stephen J. Lippard, chairman of the department of chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, echoes that opinion. "Many positions have been created by the retirements of faculty members hired in the 1960s," lippard affirms. But Burke suggests that a second sceNOVEMBER13,2000 C&EN
43
employment
outlook
nario might also be at work: "Investment is as strong as it ever has been for new, programs have been a godsend for thou- young faculty," Scheiner maintains. sands of faculty members," he says. 'That is, the ratio of positions to appli'They have financially liberated numer- cants is very high." This shrinking pool ous faculty who invested prudently of applicants means some are receiving throughout their career and don't need to multiple interviews, invited by as many as 10 universities in a given year, he exwork as long as they once believed." A C&EN survey of a sample of re- plains. "From the perspective of the research universities and four-year colleg- search university, it makes hiring the es across the U.S. suggests that many top candidates very difficult, as each will openings for academic positions exist. have multiple job offers," he observes. Not all are created by retirements, "These candidates can then command though—faculty expansions, reloca- very high salaries and start-up [packagtions, and the failure to fill openings the es], placing them out of the reach of previous year (for want of the "right" some universities." candidate) collectively contribute their Indeed, chemistry department chairown share of slots. Ironically, though, as men confirm that cost is a hurdle, afacademic positions are steadily increas- firms Paul B. Hopkins, chairman of the ing, the number of candidates is shrinking. 'The pool of interested and viable candidates for academic positions, especially at the starting level, is much smaller than the number of openings," declares Carl R. Johnson, chairman of the department of chemistry at Wayne State University, Detroit. 'This situation is likely to become more critical" in the future, he suggests. "Large numbers" of chemistry faculty members are reaching retirement age, he says, so slots will continue to open up. But factors that may dissuade candidates from pursuing an academic career are coming into play, he contends. One is "the perception that establishing a successful academic ca- Researchers at work In blolnformatlcs DNA lab. reer is difficult," achievable only by sacrificing one's quality of life. Another is chemistry department at the University the salary situation. Starting salaries in in- of Washington (UW). "We have, of dustry, especially when sign-on bonuses course, brought this on ourselves are included, are considerably higher through the competition for top candithan most starting salaries in academia, dates. It's a rare candidate who can realhe observes. There's always been a differ- ly justify $300,000 to $500,000 in start-up ence, Johnson acknowledges, but now [costs]. The exception is the individual if s more pronounced. who needs one or more pieces of exWayne State has three positions tremely expensive equipment," he says. For the seventh consecutive year, UW open for tenured or tenure-track faculty members in organic, inorganic, or mate- is conducting a job search for new faculty rials chemistry. Two are carryovers members. In the past, "we hired at least from last year, Johnson notes. If these one in every round," Hopkins says. But slots had been filled, "we would still "every year for the past six years, the have two or three openings," he says. number of applicants has declined someAn impending retirement has opened what, and this year seems to be the same." UW is not alone. up a slot for a chairman. This summer^ Hopkins conducted a Utah State University, Logan, has a tenure-track opening for an analytical nationwide survey of Ph.D.-granting chemist. 'This position became avail- schools for the Council on Chemical Reable when a faculty member left for an- search, to which some 60 schools reother university," notes Steve Scheiner, sponded. Responses to a survey queshead of the chemistry and biochemistry tion on the number of tenure-track department. 'The academic job market openings show that "it is very common 44
NOVEMBER 13,2000 C&EN
for schools to have one, two, or even three openings," he points out. Washington University, St. Louis, has "decided not to search again this year, partly because of space constraints and partly because of the enormous start-up costs associated with the three hires we made last year," says John R Bleeke, vice chairman of the department of chemistry. Last year, the department hired three assistant professors for work in interdisciplinary areas—bioinorganic and enzymology, materials science and inorganic, and physical studies of inorganic nanomaterials. "While we were fortunate in our search last year, we have found that it can be difficult to find candidates who are doing research in cutting-edge interdisciplinary areas and yet have the background to teach the traditional core curriculum of the department," Bleeke says. "I think there is great interest in hiring synthetic chemists as well as people trained at the interface of disciplines," UC Berkeley's Klinman contends. "Certainly, nanostructures is a big area, as is new materials. Both of these areas interface with physical and inorganic chemistry." And she believes most chemistry departments are trying to strengthen the interface between chemistry and biology. Berkeley "is actively recruiting" tofillpositions in structural and chemical biology, she notes. Failure to fill all of its openings last year "due to unavailability of the 'right' candidates" has left Northwestern University with three positions to fill in 2001, indicates Robert N. Scott, executive director of the department of chemistry. The university is about to begin construction of a new nanotechnology center, he says, and the chemistry department is emphasizing nanotechnology. "We have not found it difficult to find candidates in this area," he notes. "Our department is aggressively expanding in the areas of proteomics, bioinformatics, functional genomics, nanotechnology, and pharmaceutical sciences, as well as in the core areas of inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry and biochemistry," says Edward A. Dennis, chairman of the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego. The department currently is searching for four new faculty members, three of whom willfill"brand new" positions. Under recruitment are a senior organic chemist and junior inorganic, environmental,
Ε-Recruiting: The new way to get a job The Internet is changing the way re cruiting is being done, announced Ron Webb, senior manager for doctoral recruiting at Procter & Gamble, at the "Ca reers 2000" conference held last month in Bal timore. Sponsored by the American Chemical Society's Department of Career Services, the conference hosted the department's career consultants and ACS lo cal sections' career pro gram coordinators. Webb described how e-recruiting is being used by P&G, which instituted a "paperless" online ap plication system last year Webb (http://www.pg.com/ careers/applynow). The goal is to find applicants in a timely manner," Webb said. "Electronic applications can be handled within 24 hours. That*s very effi cient I see thosefileson a daily basis. " In itsfirstyear, the paperless system generated about 6,000 applications from candidates with degrees higher than a master's, Webb said. Approxi mately one-fifth of the candidates were considered for employment and inter viewed—on campus, at ACS's National Employment Clearing House (NECH), and/or by phone. Of these, roughly 200 and organic/materials chemists. "We anticipate more new positions in the future due to increased student enrollment," Dennis says. Iowa State University of Science & Technology, Ames, has four tenuretrack positions open, two of which are new, according to chemistry department chairman Patricia A. Thiel. Two positions went unfilled last year, one because of a complicated "two-body" problem, she says. At the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, "we had one position open last year, and we were not able tofillit because the 'right' candidate elected to stay put" for personal reasons, says Harmon B. Abrahamson, chairman of the department of chemistry. "We will be searching tofillthat position again this year, but in a broader area in an attempt to generate a larger candidate pool. We are also searching to fill a second position that opened when one of our tenure-track people elected to move to a larger institution in a major metro area. Start-up expenses are a particular problem for us and limit
were invited for an on-site interview, close to 90 were offered positions, and about 70 accepted. To "make some sense of the numbers," Webb c c indicated that P&G hires s between 60 and 70 doc c •c toral candidates a year. δ Only 12 (18%) of the È ο roughly 70 brought on ο α. board in 1999 were hired via a traditional campus interview; 21% were hired through Inter net advertisements; 46% through unsolicited ap plications and employee and other referrals; and the remainder (15%) through NECH inter views, print ads, and agencies. "For the past two years, the percentage of doctoral hires that came from campus contacts was well below the average for 199197," he said. "We're simply seeing strong candidates that come to us unso licited." As e-recruiting gains ground, it will likely bring more. P&G posts B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. po sitions on its career site in real time. The company employs a "sweeping" service that electronically scans the ca reer site and automatically posts the po sitions on a number of other sites. 'That's a real way to reach out to peo CO
CQ
the number of candidates we can consider for a given position." Departures over the past few years created openings at Duke University, chemistry department chairman Simon indicates. An offer made last year was turned down, he says, "and at that point it was too late to make another offer [because] our other choice had accepted a job." The chemistry department, which has 19 faculty members, "would like to rebuild to 22," he says. It has tenure-track openings for assistant professors in biological chemistry and theoretical chemistry and for a professor at any rank in materials science and nanoscience. Among other research universities in the market for chemistry faculty members are Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, with one slot; the University of the Scignces in Philadelphia, also with one slot; and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, with two slots. "We hired seven new tenure-track faculty over the past 18 months, and we are recruiting two more this year," says
ple," Webb said. P&G manually posts new openings on Monster.com and Medzilla.com to attract chemists and bi ologists, respectively, he said. "I spend about 30 to 45 seconds scanning a résumé," Webb said. "And I look at every one." The impending explosion in online applications is prompting some to consider the need for a winnowing tool, an online test that will "score" applications and put those that don't measure up "in a bin where nobody ever looks at mem," he suggested. "Ifs an option. But I'm not there yet" These kinds of tests are generally written by industrial psychologists, he explained. They're intended to gauge, for example, whether a candidate is a team player and is willing to take risks—cultural "factors that may help an organization succeed," he said. Other e-recruiting tools are on the horizon. "Video classifieds," being launched by CorporateCity.com, Boston (http://www.corporatecity.com), will post corporate advertisements, employee testimonials, and online interviews and will offer guided tours of afirm'sfacilities, Webb said. And home pages that give candidates the opportunity for "personalized" interaction with a campus interviewer also are in the works, he added. "We can't stay [solely] with the old recruiting tools," Webb concluded. "We have to try to make them better and, at the same time, look for new ways, like the Internet, to attract applicants." Jimmy W. Viers, director of graduate studies in the department of chemistry at Virginia Tech. "We had a large buildup of faculty in the mid-'60s to early 70s, and these people are now beginning to retire. We anticipate our faculty recruiting will continue strong for the next few years, although start-up costs will be more and more of a factor in how many permanent tenure-track faculty we may be able to accommodate. So far, start-up expenses have not prevented us from hiring needed replacements." Chemical engineering departments, where interdisciplinary science is also making its mark, have open faculty positions, too. At the University of Texas, Austin, "we have three openings, created by retirements, not expansion," department chairman John G. Ekerdt says. Moreover, "we anticipate hiring three additional faculty members over the next three years because of retirements," he adds. "It would not be fair to say we are focusing on individuals with interdisciplinary training," Ekerdt continues. 'We are NOVEMBER 13, 2000 C&EN 45
employment
ΙΉΕ ΝΛΠΟΝΛΙ ACADEMIES Kiilun U ikt NitiM »i Sriiuu. l*finuri*i. t*i totikiu
The National Research Council announces opportunities for
Postdoctoral Research in the NASA Astrobiology Institute Postdoctoral research awards will be offered in the field of astrobiology at the NASA Astrobiology Institute. NASA has formed this new Institute to study the origin, distribution, evolution, and future of life on Earth and in the universe. Awards will be offered for multidisciplinary research in biology, genetics, chem istry, geology, planetary and space sci ence, astronomy, paleontology, and other astrobiology-related areas. The awards will be for one year, possibly renewable, through the following lead institutions or their collaborators: NASA Ames Research Center NASA Johnson Space Center NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Arizona State University University of California, Los Angeles University of Colorado, Boulder Harvard University Pennsylvania State University Carnegie Institution of Washington Marine Biological Laboratory Scripps Research Institute • Stipend begins at $45,000 per year; Application deadline is January 15 · For additional information and application materials, contact: Dr. Robert Manka, Associate Director, or Ms. Sally Lytch, Program Coordinator Associateship Programs (TJ 2114/NAI) NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 2101 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC 20418 E-mail:
[email protected] Internet: http://national-academies.org/rap Tel: (202)334-2760 Fax: (202)334-2759 Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg, Director, or Ms. Catherine Tsairides, Education Coord. NASA Astrobiology Institute MS 240-1 NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 E-mail:
[email protected] Internet: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov
Tel:
(650)604-0809
Fax:
(650)604-4251
Qualified applicants will be reviewed without regard to race, creed, cola, age, sex or national origin.
46
NOVEMBER 13, 2000 C&EN
outlook
looking for the best qualified applicants who can and are willing to teach core chemical engineering classes" and whose research interests add or comple ment focus areas within the department, he says. But "we will continue to seek in dividuals who do have interdisciplinary training, and many of our recent hires fit this description. As chemical engineering evolves, we will need individuals who work at the interface with physics, chem istry, mathematics, biology, and materi als science" as well as mainstream chem ical engineering, he explains. At Maryland, "we're looking to hire in new interdisciplinary areas, such as nanotechnology and bioMEMS (bio-microelectromechanical systems)" in the chemical engineering department, Barbari notes. He believes many schools are in the market to fill slots in these ar eas. 'The challenge, with so many open ings, will be finding highly qualified people. I suspect that many openings will go unfilled because many schools will be pursuing the same candidates and the top schools will not want to sac rifice quality just to fill the slot." Tenure-track positions also are avail able at four-year colleges. "It appears the job market is pretty good in four-year in stitutions," says Serge H. Schreiner, chairman of the chemistry department at Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va. The department has two tenure-track po sitions open "for candidates with a strong commitment to teaching in a liberal arts college and establishing a vigorous un dergraduate research program." An expansion in the chemistry de partment at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va., has opened a slot for a tenure-track assistant professor expe rienced in working with students doing undergraduate research, department head Donna S. Amenta says. The school puts a "strong emphasis on undergradu ate research," she notes. Also expanding its chemistry and biochemistry department is Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, with an opening for a tenure-track assis tant professor in biological chemistry. Recruiting was initiated in January, but "the top candidates took positions while we were interviewing," Rebecca D. Crawford, department chairman, says. Two of the three faculty positions open last year at Virginia Military Insti tute, Lexington, went unfilled, chemis try department head Henry D. Schreiber indicates. "Our top—and only— choices to fill the positions did not
m
VMI cadets with instructor Claudia Pirkle (foreground) in general chemistry lab.
accept the offers. In both cases, even though we offered a competitive finan cial package, the candidates cited insuf ficient compensation." One of the candi dates was from industry and would have had to take "a severe salary cut," Schreiber explains. And the other was de terred by the cost of housing and real estate in the area. The search reopened this year, looking for candidates who are the "right fit," Schreiber says. Appli cants must be committed to developing a quality undergraduate research pro gram and "have the ability to teach, not only in their specialty, but also in gener al chemistry courses," he adds. Salaries continue to go up, UT Aus tin's Evans notes. "I think academia is certainly having to step up to the plate because they're losing people to indus try." UT Austin's engineering depart ment is "crying, because we lost a cou ple of good computer engineering folks" to industry, she says. At MIT, "the whole school of science made a decision more than five years ago to raise the starting salaries for as sistant professors to be competitive," Lippard says. "And if you add the sum mer salary, it's more than competitive." In the past few years, the tempo of the academic market has switched from largo to allegro, as positions have steadi ly opened up. Still, "just because there are a lot of positions available doesn't mean, necessarily, that a lot of offers will be made," Lippard contends. "It de pends on the talent pool. It's hard to tell whether it's going to be a buyer's or a seller's market."^
employment ou^lileM:..
iKfc
fessionals come largely from ACS's longestablished annual surveys of new chem istry and chemical engineering graduates at all degree levels (C&EN, March 13, page 12) and of ACS members in the do mestic workforce (C&EN, Aug. 14, page 46). ACS defines the chemical workforce as U.S.-based members who have full- or part-time jobs, who are on postdocs or fel lowships, or who are unemployed but seeking employment. The member survey this year was ac tually a census—ChemCensus 2000—in that the survey questionnaire was sent Michael Heylin $70,000 this year, with bachelor's de- to all of ACS's 94,000 working members, gree holders at $53,100, master's de- not just a sample. Returns totaled al C&EN Washington gree holders at $62,000, and Ph.D.s at most 48,000. In recent times, censuses his has been an unusually busy $79,000. And the salaries of chemists re- have been taken every five years. This year, ACS has also completed year for those who track and study main in the mid- to upper range comand published a detailed study tracing the financial and professional sta- pared with those of other scientists. tus of chemists and chemical engineers. In a typical year, data on the salaries and quantifying how chemists fare in A remarkably large volume of data from and employment status of chemical pro- their transition from the peak of their careers to retirement (C&EN, a variety of sources has been — — — June 5, page 42). Dubbed the generated. Overall, the indica- ~—"—' Mature Career Chemist Survey, tions are that chemical profesCompared with chemists, chemical it is based on a questionnaire sionals are generally doing well engineers are . . . sent late last year to a sample of and should continue to do so. just more than 5,000 of ACS's There are jobs out there for Younger 37,000 domestic members be chemists and chemical engitween 50 and 69 years of age. neers in an active and shifting Chemical engineers employment market. The econIn addition to this augment Chemists omy remains good. Demand ed effort by ACS, 2000 has also 60 20 40 for chemists and chemical enbeen marked by the American Median age gineers is high. Recruitment acInstitute of Chemical Engi tivity is strong. Many graduates neers' biennial survey of the Less likely to be s ovosmaî can pick and choose among job salary and employment of its offers. And starting salaries domestic members. This year Chemical engineers have moved up sharply. also saw publication of the 2000 Chemists edition of the National Science Unemployment among 25 10 15 20 Foundation's biennial "Science chemists, at 2.0%, is about half Percentage female and Engineering Indicators," the national jobless rate, even with its very detailed analysis of if it remains above the very Less likeiy to have a Ph. the scientific and engineering low rate of about 1.0% recordworkforce. And late last year, ed during very strong ecoChemical engineers the Bureau of Labor Statistics nomic times a decade ago. Chemists came out with its employment Most—if by no means all·— 10 20 30 40 50 60 outlook for 1998 through 2008. chemists retiring these days Percentage with Ph.D. The results from this year's are doing so voluntarily and are study of the salaries and em reasonably satisfied with their Arid better paid ployment status of working pensions and their careers. And ACS members confirm the val the prognosis for increasing Chemical engineers All ue of periodically having a cennumbers of jobs in the chemical Chemists sus that seeks information profession is encouraging. B.S. Chemical engineers from ACS's entire target popu Salary gains throughout Chemists lation. The data on salaries that the chemical profession have censuses provide are more reli M.S. Chemical engineers been solid for several years, Chemists able, especially for subsets of with a median annual increase membership, than are data for chemists as individuals Ph.D. Chemical engineers from the usual annual surveys holding at about 5%, twice the Chemists based on about 10,000 returns rate of inflation. 50 60 70 80 90 from questionnaires sent to a The median salary for Median full-time salary. S thousands random sample of about 20,000 working American Chemical Source·: ACS 2000 survey, AtChf- s s«r.»r> S..' .'·,. ." Οι; working members. Society members reached
salaries
&jobs
Solid salary gains and a lively job market forecast for chemical professionals
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NOVEMBER 13,2000 C&EN 4 7
4 t e v e B#i4ey, C.Uiirc» Scott, Steve Allen EpB Derivatives Development Team Lux)
