April 2005

Higher education representatives advise chemistry faculty candidates on how to apply for positions

Chemical & Engineering News offers some concrete suggestions for would-be faculty members on how best to apply for chemistry jobs in higher education based on advice from a panel representing a broad spectrum of universities and colleges.

According to C&EN, the weekly newsmagazine published by the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, college representatives tell candidates that:

Universities are looking for candidates whose research fits into their themes.
Cover letters should be distinctive and should show how a candidate would fit into the school’s department.
While post doctorate experience is important to many universities, it is not essential to a community college.
Identifying yourself as a minority student can make your application stand out in a positive way.

The application information is based on an ACS Academic Employment Initiative (AEI) session held at the Society’s national meeting in San Diego in March, where recruiters from colleges and universities conducted interviews with faculty candidates.

The goal of AEI is to broaden the process by which chemistry faculty members are hired to include more women, minorities and more candidates from lesser known universities, C&EN says.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization, chartered by the U.S. Congress, with a multidisciplinary membership of more than 158,000 chemists and chemical engineers. It publishes numerous scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To access the entire April 11 C&EN article, click on http://pubs.acs.org/cen/education/83/8315educ3.html.