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Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses pertaining to the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. Work may include providing instruction in the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
    • Perform administrative duties, such as serving as a department head.
    • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and chemical separation.
    • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
    • Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
    • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
    • Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
    • Write letters of recommendation for students.
    • Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
    • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
    • Participate in campus and community events.
    • Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
    • Write letters of recommendation for students.
    • Clean laboratory facilities.
    • Select, order, and maintain materials and supplies for teaching and research, such as textbooks, chemicals, and laboratory equipment.
    • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
    • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
    • Supervise students' laboratory work.
    • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
    • Clean laboratory facilities.
    • Establish, teach, and monitor students' compliance with safety rules for handling chemicals, equipment, and other hazardous materials.
    • Establish, teach, and monitor students' compliance with safety rules for handling chemicals, equipment, and other hazardous materials.
    • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
    • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
    • Establish, teach, and monitor students' compliance with safety rules for handling chemicals, equipment, and other hazardous materials.
    • Serve on committees or in professional societies.
    • Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
    • Select, order, and maintain materials and supplies for teaching and research, such as textbooks, chemicals, and laboratory equipment.
    • Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
    • Act as advisers to student organizations.
    • Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory performance, assignments, and papers.
    • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
    • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
    • Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
    • Select, order, and maintain materials and supplies for teaching and research, such as textbooks, chemicals, and laboratory equipment.
    • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
    • Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
    • Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
    • Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
    • Prepare and submit required reports related to instruction.

    Skills

    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.

    Abilities

    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    Knowledge

    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    Education

    Education
    Doctoral or professional degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    81680/yr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    590
    Yearly Projected Openings
    60

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Independence

    Tools

    • Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
    • Benchtop centrifuges
    • Calorimeters
    • Capillary tube assemblies
    • Chemiluminescence or bioluminescence analyzers
    • Compact disk players or recorders
    • Complementary deoxyribonucleic acid cDNA synthesis kits
    • Cryostats
    • Desktop computers
    • Digital camcorders or video cameras
    • Digital cameras
    • Digital video disk players or recorders
    • Distillation pipings or columns or fittings
    • Electrodes
    • Electrometers
    • Epidiascopes
    • Flame ionization analyzers
    • Gel dryers
    • General purpose refrigerators or refrigerator freezers
    • High pressure liquid chromatograph chromatography
    • Inductively coupled plasma ICP spectrometers
    • Infrared spectrometers
    • Inkjet printers
    • Instrumentation for capillary electrophoresis
    • Isolation glove boxes
    • Laboratory dishes
    • Laboratory safety furnaces
    • Laser fax machine
    • Laser printers
    • Lasers
    • Liquid crystal display projector
    • MP3 players or recorders
    • Mass spectrometers
    • Microcentrifuges
    • Microphone stand
    • Microphones
    • Microplate readers
    • Monochromators
    • Multimedia projectors
    • Notebook computers
    • Nuclear magnetic resonance NMR spectrometers
    • Orbital shakers
    • Oscilloscopes
    • Overhead projectors
    • Photocopiers
    • Photometer
    • Pocket calculator
    • Polarimeters
    • Polarizing microscopes
    • Portable data input terminals
    • Projection screens or displays
    • Robotic or automated liquid handling systems
    • Scanners
    • Shaking incubators
    • Slide projectors
    • Solid phase extraction SPE columns
    • Special purpose telephones
    • Spectrofluorimeters or fluorimeters
    • Spectrophotometers
    • Sulfur dioxide analyzers or detectors
    • Tablet computers
    • Teleconference equipment
    • Televisions
    • Temperature cycling chambers or thermal cyclers
    • Thermo gravimetry analyzers
    • Touch screen monitors
    • Tube furnaces
    • Ultracentrifuges
    • Ultrasonic cleaning equipment
    • Vacuum desiccators
    • Vacuum pumps
    • Videoconferencing systems
    • Web cameras
    • X ray diffraction equipment

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Computer based training software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Information retrieval or search software
    • Internet browser software
    • Office suite software
    • Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software