I will soon be leaving my position as the Director of NMR Services here
at the University of South Carolina. USC will be officially advertising
for my replacement in a month or two. I just thought that I would send
this out so interested parties can be on the lookout for the official ad
which is slated to appear in C&E News. This is a position USC is looking
to fill ASAP.
I can't say enough good things about the position I am leaving, but I'll
try anyways:
The NMR Facility has five NMRs: 500, 400, 300, 200WB and 90cw. The
EM390 is for the undergraduates. The Bruker WP200 has a high-speed
CPMAS probe (15kHz) and an 'ass-kicking' high power rack (AMT 3200 X amp,
Creative Electronics H amp). In March of 1997 the WH-400 console will be
upgraded to a Gemini 400, and the AM-500 consoles will be upgraded to an
INOVA 500 with 3-axis PFGs. Six new probes will also be coming around
March, 1997 (Nalorac 500 5mm, 3-axis inverse bb PFG; Varian 500 5mm
inverse bb; Varian 500 5mm bb; Varian 500 10mm bb; Varian 400 5mm inverse
bb; Varian 400 5mm bb). Three new SGI INDIGO2 Extreme Generation
workstations (128MB RAM, 4GB drives, 20" monitors) are already set up
and on the network. Perpetual licenses for Felix-ND and for NMRComplete
are about to be installed. Two additional copies of VNMR_SGI are coming.
Access to other MSI software such as Delphi, Insight, Discover, CFF95 is
available on site. The NMR Facility also boasts a LeCroy 9354TM digital
storage scope (up to 2M memory, plus the math package, a strip chart
recorder, and a 3.5" floppy drive).
Basically, the place has just been modernized and I am hardly getting to
play with any of this cool stuff before I leave!
The Dean and the Chair are both committed to improving the NMR Facility
to a state-of-the-art level. Within a year's time the AM-300 console
may be replaced and a 3rd rf channel may be added to the INOVA500 (along
with a inverse triple resonance probe). I have found the faculty to be
very supportive of my efforts to modernize the facility.
The facility has about 70 regular users, and a staff spectroscopist
handles scheduling, training, and bookkeeping.
There is an incredible amount of collaborative work to be done, and
there is also ample opportunity for the Director to conduct his/her own
research on site (the Facility has a prep lab, electronics lab, lots of
storage, etc). The Director has control of the operating account of
which a portion is completely discretionary (short of buying a yacht).
This discretionary money is derived from consulting work which is on the
rise since SC is doing such a darn good job of getting industries to
leave other states and relocate here in SC (Bose is the latest example
of that trend).
Travel is also part of the deal. Every year the Director and the Staff
Spectroscopist go to the ENC and charge it to the operating account
(professional improvement).
What's more, in about two or three years time the new Chemistry
Department Research Building will be completed and, included in that
building, will be the new NMR Services Facility space with room for the
200, 300, 400, 500 and either a 600 or a 750. The new space will be on
the first floor, so you will actually have a window or two to look out,
plus it will be 'outboard' from the main building on a floating slab for
vibration isolation (I asked the architects for this). The new NMR lab
will also have its own air conditioning, so it won't be at the mercy of
the house air system.
At this point, you might be asking: "If this job is so great, then why
are you leaving?"
The answer is that I am going to MIT.
If anyone wants to know more about this, they can contact me (preferably
by e-mail, but phone calls are ok).
I should finish by saying that I took this job right after I finished a
post doc/staff NMR administrator job that lasted for three years, so those
with not too much experience in NMR lab management definitely stand an
excellent chance. Good communication skills (oral and written) are going
to be very important, as dealing with people with a wide varying levels
of NMR expertise and backgrounds and also proposal writing are part of
the job.
Here is the formal text:
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Director of NMR Services
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina,
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, solicits applications
for the position of Director of NMR Services
Responsibilities include Facility supervision, upgrading,
maintenance, and repair. The Facility currently has 5 NMRs (500,
400, 300, 200WB solids, 90cw) and 3 SGI INDIGO2's. Console
upgrades (500, 400) are imminent. A new space for existing
NMRs plus a 750 should be completed in 1998. The Director is
assisted by a staff spectroscopist who handles scheduling,
training, user supervision, and bookkeeping. The Director will
interact and collaborate with Facility users and may also
conduct independent research. Experience with UNIX, FELIX, VNMR,
and multidimensional, multinuclear & solid state NMR is desirable.
Good writing and communication skills are important.
Please submit a curriculum vitae and three letters of
recommendation to Professor Daniel L. Reger, NMR Director Search
Committee, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of
South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208. The University of South
Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer.
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Jeff
Dr. J.H. Simpson jsimpson@cosm.sc.edu
Director of NMR Services 803-777-2088 ofc
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry 803-777-9521 fax
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 USA