Chemistry in context

M. KULKA/ZEFA/CORBIS

To the untutored eye, it may seem as though chemistry is past its prime — fading into the shadow of its siblings physics and biology, or subsumed into new disciplines such as chemical biology. Certainly, four of the past five Nobel prizes in the field have celebrated work with a decidedly cellular flavour. But instead of vanishing, chemistry is merely reinventing itself as its importance to other fields becomes increasingly recognized.

"Chemistry splits into thousands of things, and then some begin to have their own names. Whether it is or isn't chemistry depends on your point of view," says Arnold Thackray, president of the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia. The branching of chemistry into many subdisciplines means that although there may be fewer traditional jobs in companies that focus on manufacturing compounds, there may be more opportunities in roles that straddle disciplines and combine skills. Flexibility, creativity and a constantly updated skill set are key to succeeding in these positions.

Combining technical strengths can be valuable for positions that blend chemistry and biology. The trajectory for a chemical biologist, for example, is typically a PhD in organic chemistry with experience in synthesizing analogues of biomolecules, plus postdoctoral work using organic-chemistry approaches to biological problems.

"Today's chemical biologist might synthesize large libraries of small molecules and use them in biological screens as inhibitors," says Reid Gilmore, a biochemist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. "A chemical biologist pursues basic research, whereas a medicinal chemist synthesizes drugs." To make the transition from organic chemist to chemical biologist, he suggests taking biology and biochemistry courses. "Combined strength in organic chemistry and biochemistry is not that common," he notes.

But whatever strand of chemistry you chose to pursue, you will need more than just scientific savvy to succeed — especially if you are working in industry. "The three essential 'softer' skills are teamwork, flexibility and critical thinking," says Martha Collins, director of new applications in the Materials Research Center at Air Products and Chemicals in Allentown, Pennsylvania. "For an industrial chemist, it is now normal nowadays to change your main focus." Collins did her doctoral work on fibres, but has worked in coatings, surfactants, crosslinking and emulsion polymers, and now manages 50 researchers. To catalyse flexibility, Air Products' career-development programme gives its scientists stints in other areas, such as marketing. "You have to be able to take something that you are doing in the lab and see how it will be used, then design it the right way," Collins adds.

Chain reaction: (clockwise from top) Eric Breitung, Dennis Liotta and Heather Harris see a range of opportunities for chemists.AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INCJ. ARSLANOGLU; EMORY UNIVERSITY

The applications to which skills in chemistry can be put are becoming increasingly diverse, from designing drugs to restoring antiques. Projects can vary even on a day-to-day basis. "A new chemist who wants to focus on one area for the rest of his or her life will have a hard time here," says Greg Chambers, global technology leader for polymer and chemical technologies at General Electric's Global Research Center in Schenectady, New York. "A chemist might work on silicones one day and organic light-emitting diodes the next, and have a great time doing it."

Even a company with a specific niche can offer eclectic opportunities. Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, for example, focuses on surface chemistry. But opportunities range from an analytical chemist to study the effects of colorants on hair to an organic chemist to work on lithium batteries.

For chemists looking to combine the excitement of discovery with the satisfaction of social responsibility, new business models may offer fresh opportunities compared with career paths at typical drug companies. For example, iThemba Pharmaceuticals, based in South Africa, was created as a joint venture between drug-discovery firm Chimerix of Durham, North Carolina, and universities in Britain and the United States to address public-health problems in sub-Saharan Africa. The collaboration will attempt to pursue treatments that big drug companies typically dismiss as unprofitable. In addition to researching small-molecule drugs, primarily for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria, iThemba will refine manufacturing processes for generic drugs. Soon, the venture will be looking to hire several medicinal and synthetic chemists, says Dennis Liotta, its co-founder and professor of chemistry at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. "The goal is to be a financial success but also to make a positive difference to people's health," says Liotta. "It's a different kind of job. The pay will be competitive, but it will be a very noble task."

Interdisciplinary approaches and niche industries are creating jobs for chemists in many places. When Eric Breitung, an inorganic chemist with industrial experience in coatings and thin films, had to relocate to New York City, he answered an advert from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum was looking for a research fellow to solve a problem in the preservation of face-mounted photographs. Framing photos that are 2 metres by 2 metres in glass is difficult because it is too heavy. So an acrylic sheet is normally glued to the picture with silicone. Face-mounting improves depth and colour saturation, but if the acrylic becomes scratched or damaged, the repairs involve polishing out the damage, which can distort the image. Chemists such as Breitung are looking for other ways to make repairs without causing distortion.

Chemistry jobs increasingly comprise an array of specialized opportunities that allow practitioners to apply problem-solving skills. Yet what makes many chemists love their work is the joy of exploration and invention. "Every day is different," says Paul Docherty, a PhD student at the University of Oxford, UK. "I might be using similar techniques, but every compound has its own character and behaviour. I work within rules, and use my imagination to bend those rules, or find new ones. I'm doing stuff every day that no one else has done before."

Consulting on chemistry

One option for chemists seeking an alternative career is to move into consultancy. "A consultant gives people a better understanding, at the atomic or molecular level, of their products and processes," says Joseph Sabol, who left academia and now runs a chemical-consulting business in Racine, Wisconsin. Consultants need to develop "a good seat-of-the-pants knowledge of a wide range of chemistry, physics, engineering, manufacturing and industrial processing", Sabol notes. For example, one of his clients was a shampoo designer run by non-scientists who needed a crash course in pH.

Joseph Sabol: enjoying consultancy.E. A. SOBCZAK

Opportunities can arise unexpectedly. Heather Harris's career as a forensics consultant was born out of a tragedy. At university in 1995, the professor who taught her physical-anthropology class was called to the site of the Oklahoma City bombings to analyse evidence. Harris was so inspired by the work that she went on to earn a master's in forensic science.

But she disliked working in a crime lab, so she went to law school. Like Sabol, she has to constantly seek out work, but finds it "when there is an issue related to chemical analysis of evidence", she says. Harris loves the challenge of "trying to find the little twist that could help the client, and putting together the pieces of a puzzle".

R.L.