Chemistry Newsletter - 07/13/1998

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Department of Chemistry Newsletter

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***Warning - Hard Hat Area - Danger***

Chemistry Building Addition / Renovation Project

The final bid opening for the Chemistry Building Project occurred on Tuesday June 30th. ***The bids for the addition + full complement of renovation came in roughly $1.7 M UNDER budget.*** As a result of this favorable bid situation, the project was "only" $1.5 M away from having sufficient funds to construct the 120-seat Seminar Hall, which was bid as the final add / alternate. The Campus Administration and the College of Letters and Science agreed to provide the additional $1.5 M for construction of the Seminar Hall. As a result of the favorable bids + the additional funding, the Department will be able to complete the ENTIRE addition / renovation project - including the Seminar Hall !!

At its meeting on Thurs August 6th, the State Building Commission will officially authorize the Governor's office to sign construction contracts. Construction will then begin within 30-60 days. We should expect construction to begin during late August or September. A "groundbreaking" ceremony is scheduled for mid-September - even though construction may already have begun by that date.

The Department owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Chancellor David Ward, Provost John Wiley, and Dean Phil Certain for their extraordinary support for the Chemistry Addition / Renovation project. At each critical stage, they provided both the political and financial support that enabled our project to move forward. And, during a week filled with the remarkable news of very favorable construction bids, they enabled a truly exceptional result through their support for the construction of the Seminar Hall.

Professor Robert J. McMahon

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ATTENTION GRADUATE STUDENTS

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IMPORTANT DATES:

MINOR AGREEMENT FORMS: The Graduate School requires that the minor program be outlined in an agreement which is approved by the Department no later than halfway through completion of the sequence minor courses. The minor requirement must be completed by the end of the third year of graduate school. Minor agreement forms are available in Room 1315.

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SEMINARS

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Tuesday, July 14^th, 1998 - Organic Chemistry Seminar. 3:30 p.m., Room 8335 Chemistry Building. Professor S. V. Kessar, Punjab University, Chandigarh, India. "Regio and Stereoselectivity in Lithiation of Tertiary Amines"

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Tuesday, July 21^st, 1998 - Organic Chemistry Seminar. 3:00 p.m., Room 8335 Chemistry Building. Professor Vladimir Gevorgyan, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. "Synthesis of Multifunctional Aromatics via Novel Highly Chemo- and Regioselective Cycloaddition Reactions"

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Friday, July 24^th, 1998 - Organic Chemistry Seminar. 11:00 a.m., Room 8335 Chemistry Building. Professor Reinhard Br�ckner, University of G�ttingen, Germany. "New Pathways to 5-Membered Ring Lactones"

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Community Adults - Is graduate study in your future?

If so, UW-Madison has a special program for YOU. GRADUATE STUDY: Putting it all Together. Saturday, July 18, 1998 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St. (See Today In the Union posting for room.)

The workshop will focus on:

• selecting a program
• preparing for graduate entrance exams
• applying for admission
• financing graduate study

No charge. Reservations are required. Call 263-6960; fax 265-2901; e-mail: ofc.acecc@ccmail.adp.wisc.edu.

Sponsored by the UW-Madison Graduate School and the Division of Continuing Studies Adult Career and Educational Counseling Center.

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Michigan Society of Fellows - Postdoctoral Fellowships: 1999-2002.

The Michigan Society of Fellows was founded in 1970 through grants from the Ford Foundation and Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies for the purpose of promoting academic and creative excellence in the humanities and the arts, the social, physical, and life sciences, and the professions. The objective of the Society is to provide financial and intellectual support for individuals selected for outstanding achievement, professional promise, and interdisciplinary interests. We invite applications from qualified candidates for the three-year postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Michigan. Candidates should be near the beginning of their professional careers. Those selected for fellowships must have received the Ph.D. degree or comparable artistic or professional degree between June 1,1996, and September 1, 1999. Fellows are appointed as Assistant Professors or Research Scientists in appropriate departments and as Postdoctoral Scholars in the Michigan Society of Fellows. They are expected to be in residence in Ann Arbor during the academic years of the fellowship, to teach for the equivalent of one academic year, to participate in the informal intellectual life of the Society, and to devote time to their independent research or artistic projects. Applications will be reviewed by Society members and University faculty. Final selections will be made in January by the Senior Fellows of the Society. Four Fellows will be selected for three year terms to begin September 1, 1999. Please send requests for application materials to: Michigan Society of Fellows, University of Michigan, 3030 Rackham Building, 915 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor,Michigan 48109-1070. Application Deadline: postmark October 9,1998. Tel: (734) 763-1259, email: society.of.fellows@umich.edu, http://www.rackham.umich.edu/Faculty/society.htm.

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FACULTY POSITIONS/TEMPORARY FACULTY/ACADEMIC POSITIONS

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A lectureship is available in the Chemistry Department of the University of Durham commencing on 1 September, 1998 or as soon as possible thereafter. The appointment is for an initial period of three years, extendable for a further two years and with some potential for continuation to a permanent position. The successful candidate will be required to teach undergraduates general aspects of physical and theoretical chemistry (possibly including mathematics for chemists) and to develop a successful research programme. Although it is not specifically mentioned in the job description included in the advertisement, there is a small preference within the department for an appointment concerned with some aspect of NMR. The department is well equipped for NMR research, having the solid-state research group of Professor R. K. Harris as well as five solution-state spectrometers (200 to 500 MHz). The successful candidate would be expected to undertake independent and/or collaborative research, and access to suitable spectrometers should not be a problem. Further details and an application form may be obtained from: The Director of Personnel, University of Durham, Old Shire Hall, Durham, DH1 3HP, UK (tel: +44-191-374-7258, FAX: +44-191-374-7253, Email: Acad.Recruit@durham.ac.uk). Salary will be on the lecturer scale. (#16,655 - #21,815 p.a. as at 1 October, 1998). Informal enquiries can be made to Professor R. K. Harris (tel: +44-191-374-3121 or E-mail: r.k.harris@durham.ac.uk). Closing date: 16 July, 1998. Ref. No.: A804D

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The Analytical Chemistry Department in the Process Sciences Division of Genentech, Inc. seeks an individual to act as system manager for a 500 MHz spectrometer, to participate in the development of high throughput assays using NMR, and to pursue studies of biologically-active glycoproteins using NMR. There will be ample opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations with colleagues in many areas of the company. Projects may range from characterization of unknowns to in vivo studies of cells in culture. The successful applicant must have extensive experience in pulse sequence implementation, hardware maintenance, and UNIX. The position requires at least a B.S./M.S. in chemistry, physics, or related field and direct experience in high resolution NMR spectroscopy. Some background in organic chemistry is desirable. Interested candidates should send their resumes to: Dr. Laura Lerner, MS 62, Genentech Inc., One DNA Way, South San Francisco CA 94080 or via e-mail to lerner@gene.com. To learn more about Genentech, please check out our website, www.gene.com.

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The Department of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology invites applications for tenure-track positions in all areas of chemistry for July 1999. While the preferred level of appointment is at the rank of Assistant Professor, applications for appointment at more senior levels are also welcome. Outstanding individuals with strong commitment to research and teaching are encouraged to apply by arranging to have a curriculum vitae, a brief description of research plan, and three letters of recommendation sent to: Professor Stephen J. Lippard, Department of Chemistry, 18-399, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139. Application deadline: October 1. 1998.

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Brown University. Our Department is soliciting applications for an appointment as Assistant Professor for a three year tenure track renewable appointment in Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry beginning July 1, 1999. An applicant should have a Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, biochemistry or a closely related field. Postdoctoral experience is desirable. The appointment will be based on high potential for development of a creative and vigorous research program and making strong instructional contributions in organic chemistry or biochemistry. Women and candidates who are members of minority groups are especially encourged to apply. We will choose the candidate who exhibits the most promise for excellence in research and teaching. An application should contain graduate and undergraduate transcripts, a curriculum vita and a detailed description of proposed research plans and requirements. It should be supported by three letters of recommendation. To guarantee full consideration application materials should be received by November 2, 1998. All application materials should be addressed to: Professor J. William Suggs, Department of Chemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912.

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The Department of Chemistry, Yale University, invites applications for a position at the Assistant Professor level to commence Fall 1999. We seek creative teacher-scholars who show promise for developing outstanding research programs in the broad fields of inorganic, theoretical, and biophysical chemistry. Applicants should send curriculum vitae and a statement of research plans and arrange for the submission of three letters of recommendation. All materials should be received by 15 October 1998. Send applications to: Professor Donald M. Crothers, Chair, Junior Faculty Search Committee, P.O. Box 208107, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8107.

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POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AND/OR JOBS

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Professor Kenneth Nicholas of the University of Oklahoma has a postdoctoral position available immediately (Aug. 1998) to join our ongoing synthetic and mechanistic studies of carbon-centered organometallic radicals. Our initial efforts have demonstrated that these species display extraordinary reactivity and selectivity. Recent relevant publications include: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 9053; Organometallics, 1995, 14, 2170; Tetrahedron Lett., 1994, 35, 363; J. Org. Chem. 1994, 59, 222. Appropriate candidates would have a strong background in synthetic organic and/or synthetic organometallic chemistry, experience with handling sensitive compounds, and be proficient with the usual purification and characterizational tools. A creative individual with a strong work ethic is especially desirable. Our laboratories and those of the Department in general are extremely well equipped; there are strong interactions between the several active organic/organometallic groups. Please have candidates to send a vita, a graduate transcript, and at least two letters of recommendation to: Prof. Kenneth Nicholas, Department of Chemistry of Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, ph: 405-325-3696, FAX: 405-325-6111, e-mail: knicholas@ou.edu.

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Dr. Arthur Greenberg, of the University of North Carolina Charlotte has just had a full-time teaching/postdoctoral position made available to him by his university. It will be for one academic year starting August 16, 1998 and is renewable. It is a nice opportunity for a person with good language skills to obtain teaching experience. The research will involve short organic syntheses, computational chemistry and potentially learning and performing reaction calorimetry. Interested applicants should send their CV, by July 31, 1998, to: Dr. Arthur Greenberg, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001, Phone: 704-547-4011, Fax: 704-547-3151, Email: agreenbe@email.uncc.edu.

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The Chemistry Department of the RWTH AACHEN invites applications for doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships within their graduate training program: "Methods in Asymmetric Synthesis". In this program 15 professors and lecturers and their research groups cooperate, offering an interdisciplinary and international syllabus of lectures, seminars and workshops. Financial assistance for travelling to international symposia and support for visits to other research centers is available. The Chemistry Department currently has a major emphasis on research in catalysis and asymmetric synthesis. Research projects to be pursued within the program "Methods in Asymmetric Synthesis" cover the following areas: computational chemistry, organometallic chemistry, stereoselective synthesis (natural products and biologically active compounds), homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, physical chemistry, macromolecular chemistry and crystallography. Applicants must have a minimum of a M.Sc. or a diploma in chemistry, applied chemistry or a closely related field. Further requirements are an excellent academic record, a good knowledge of English or German and the willingness to actively participate in the graduate program. Further information about the graduate program is available on request or at our web site at http://www.rwth-aachen.de/chemie/gradkoll. Please direct your enquiries or applications with CV and transcripts to the chairman of the graduate training program: Prof. Dr. C. Bolm, RWTH Aachen, Institut f�r Organische Chemie, D-52056 Aachen, Germany, Telefon: +49 214 804675; Fax: +49 214 8888391; e-mail: Carsten.Bolm@rwth-aachen.de

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Professor Frank A. Gomez at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) is accepting applications for a postdoctoral research/teaching position to begin in Fall 1998. Established under the support of the National Science Foundation Faculty Early CAREER Development Program, the position is designed to attract talented Ph.D. recipients to careers in the chemical and biochemical sciences at undergraduate colleges and universities. To ensure that he/she will gain a firsthand understanding of the operations of an undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry department, the successful applicant will collaborate with Professor Gomez in both research and teaching. The research projects will focus on examining in-capillary enzyme-catalyzed microreactions, further developing CE as a technique to examine biomolecular noncovalent interactions, and developing miniaturized capillary electrophoresis (CE) instruments via micromachining and microfabrication techniques. A solid background in biochemistry is recommended. Experience writing manuscripts is important. A solid foundation in written and spoken English is required. Teaching responsibilities will likely include, over the tenure of the two-year appointment, participation in general, organic, analytical and biochemistry courses. Applicants should submit a detailed curriculum vitae and a description of their teaching philosophy, and should arrange for the forwarding of two letters of reference, and unofficial undergraduate and graduate transcripts to: Professor Frank A. Gomez, California State University, Los Angeles, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032-8202, Phone: 213-343-2368, fax: 213-343-6490, e-mail: fgomez2@calstatela.edu.

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Seth Marder of the California Institute of Technology sends this message. I have accepted a professorship in the department of chemistry at the University of Arizona. I expect that my group will be moving to U of A sometime in early to mid November. At that time I shall have multiple postdoctoral positions available. Currently my group has interests in LC materials, photorefractive materials, electron and hole transport materials, light emitting materials, electro-optic materials and multiphoton absorbing materials. This last topic, multiphoton materials has become a central theme in my group. We are now trying to utilize these compounds for optical memory, 3D photopolymerization, and as fluorescent probes to study biological systems, among other things. Thus I need a group with a rather diverse background including biochemistry, synthesis, electrochemistry, polymer chemistry and organometallic chemistry. I am looking for a highly motivated individual who would be interested in a postdoctoral position. Seth Marder, Member of the Technical Staff (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Member of the Beckman Institute (Caltech), SRM@ cco.caltech.edu, Phone 626-395-2829 office (please note new area code), Phone 626-395-2715 lab, FAX 626-449-4159, 139-74, Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.

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Dr. Darryl J. Bornhop, of Texas Tech University currently has funded research in the areas of disease detection, biomedical imaging and bioanalytical instrumentation development. In short, we are exploring the use of a class of lanthanide chelate fluorescent biomarkers in early disease detection, high throughput sensing and site-specific imaging. One project involves determining the chemical and biological basis for the localization of one such chelate in colon cancer. The group is currently looking for a motivated individual to join in our Biomarker and Cancer Detection Research efforts as a Postdoctoral Associate to work on this project. Experience with biology, cancer biology, molecular biology and/or physiology is preferred. Candidates should be familiar with chemical carcinogenesis, comfortable with animal model studies. Expertise with EM and fluorescence microscopy would be helpful. Immunology background and understanding of inflammatory bowel disease etiology would be a significant plus. A minimum level of ability must include effective cell and tissue culturing techniques and a level of competency in working with laboratory animals. Any qualified candidate must be able to fit into a congenial cross-disciplinary research group (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Electrical Engineering and Medicine) and have good communication skills. Our ongoing research is in a growth area and working the research group represents an opportunity for long term professional development. Funding is currently available for a minimum term of one year, with future years dependent upon performance and funding. Salary is negotiable and will be tied to the background and experience of the candidate. Submit CV or resume to: Dr. Darryl J. Bornhop, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas, 79409-1061, (806) 742-3142, Fax 1289, E-mail: djbornhop@ttu.edu.

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Professor Steven L. Regen of Lehigh University is currently seeking to fill a postdoctoral position in his research group. The specific project involves the syndhesis and characterization of molecular umbrella-oligonucleotide conjugates. Two papers that describe our umbrella concept have recently appeared in the literature (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 640; Bioconjugate Chemistry, 1997, 8, 891). In unpublished work, we have also obtained some encouraging biological results with our collaborator, Professor Rudy Juliano (Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill). Candidates for this position should send me a copy of their CV and a list of their publications. They should also arrange to have two letters of reference sent directly to: Steven L. Regen, Professor of Chemistry, Lehigh University, Department of Chemistry, Seeley G. Mudd Building 6, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, Phone: (610) 758-4842, Fax (610) 758-6560 e-mail: SLR0@Lehigh.edu.

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Post-doctoral Research Associate Position, in the Zwier Research Group, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University. A position is open for a post-doctoral research associate in the group of Timothy Zwier in the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University. Experience with multi-laser, gas-phase studies is desirable, but those wishing to gain such experience are also encouraged to apply. The focus of the project will be on exploring the photochemistry of small hydrocarbons and nitrites of importance in combustion and in planetary atmospheres. The project involves a mix of photochemistry, kinetics, and spectroscopy. Currently we use laser-based pump-probe schemes in which photochemistry is initiated with one ultraviolet pulse, while product detection is accomplished by VUV photoionization or resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization/time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. We also anticipate construction of a new chamber employing Laval nozzles and infrared cavity ring-down detection for low-temperature kinetic studies. Those desiring further information are encouraged to contact me either by email or telephone. Interested individuals should send a resume and arrange to have two letters of recommendation sent to: Professor Timothy S. Zwier, Department of Chemistry, 1393 Brown Laboratory, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1393 U.S.A., Tel (765)494-5278, Fax (765)494-0239, Zwier@chem.purdue.edu, http://www.chem.purdue.edu/faculty/zwier

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DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE IN ROOM 1380.

NEXT NEWSLETTER IS ON AUGUST 3^rd, 1998.