Hey,
Another week down in 2021 and another week closer till we have herd immunity from Covid-19. I hope your weekend has been restful. I’ve linked the stories from last week below in the event you didn’t have time to read anything from me last week.
Tuesday - Nanocarriers: The Future in Cancer Treatment with Selectivity
By Rachel Glantzberg
This was the very first guest post in the newsletter by a high school student named Rachel Glantzberg. She writes about how polymeric nanoparticles are a promising path forward in advancing chemotherapy treatments in treating cancer. I was impressed with Rachel’s drive to be reading and writing about this kind of stuff in high school. I think it is worth checking out and it’s shorter than what I typically publish.
Friday - Financial Chemistry
Some interesting deals happening in the chemicals world with acquisitions of companies, a Series A deal, BASF closing down a plant in the UK. There were also two big divestments and a new JV between a major oil company and a growing chemical technology company.
Career Focused
I’ve written about How To Get A Job As A Chemist, about Mentorship in Science, and what it might be like to be a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow. I am also trying to connect recruiters and people looking for jobs with a discussion board.
I will publish something new in March too. I am aiming for once a month on career related topics.
Job of the Week - Huntsman in Derry, NH
Huntsman currently has an immediate opening for a dynamic individual with proven capability as a Product Development Scientist for the Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Division located at our technical center in Derry, New Hampshire.
Essential responsibilities of this position include but are not limited to the following:
Development of new products and formulations for thermoplastic polyurethanes applications with emphasis on film and sheet extrusion grades.
Work with business teams and/or customers to identify and commercialize new products and technology.
Collaborate with TPU technical groups located in Europe and Asia on projects that are part of the global development strategy.
Utilize advanced chemical knowledge, data, modeling, and statistical tools to solve technical challenges and develop structure-performance relationships.
Provide technical expertise and guidance to internal (sales and marketing) and external customers when required.
Support our manufacturing facility in Ringwood in process continuous improvement activities and scale up of new products.
Stay current with the state of the art in TPU chemistry, test methods and processing techniques through literature search, participation in technical conferences, trade shows or other industry related activities.
Participate actively in site EHS activities and maintain and promote a safe working environment in both the laboratory and in the field.
General Responsibilities:
Follows instructions and performs other duties as may be assigned by supervisor.
Assists other employees in accomplishment of Huntsman company goals.
Participates in and completes company-required training programs.
Participates in Environmental, Health and Safety initiatives as set forth by the company.
Education:
Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry, Chemical/Plastics Engineering, or Material Science discipline, with a minimum of 5 years of technical experience in the polymer/plastics industry is highly desirable.
Alternatively, a MS/PhD in Materials or Polymer Science with relevant industry experience is strongly preferred
I’ve driven past this plant numerous times. If you like to ski in the winter and go hiking then New Hampshire is the place for you. Boston is only about an hour away too and so is the beach.
Want to get your company featured here? Just reply to this email or contact me: polymerist@substack.com or @tpolymerist on Twitter.
Talk to you Tuesday. Preview: I’m writing about phosphorous and agriculture on Tuesday. Wednesday, I’ll get into Shell’s sustainability plans. Friday, we come back full circle and look at green chemistry again.
Tony
The views here are my own and do not represent those of my employer nor should they be considered investment advice.
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