Michael O’Neill is shifting to BSky

**new blog post** reflections on applying for teaching jobs in 23-24 michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/9/…

**New blog post** I am once again tilting at the 300 lab hours windmill, unfortunately. michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/9/…

Sometimes when you blog something about your own experience you get Emails. Topics around working conditions are without fail the ones which draw the saddest messages. If there is someone in your department on a short fixed-term contract, take them for coffee **today**.

**New blog post** A reflection on how moving city made me less productive this year. michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/8/…

**New Blog Post** How to drop accreditation. A quick examination of how a Department might make a success of leaving the RSC accreditation regime. michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/7/…

Booking for #ViCEPHEC25 has been extended until 10 July as we recognised there is little time between abstract notifications and the close of the previous deadline. Nearly 200 people have booked to come already; it's going to be a big event! payments.liv.ac.uk/conferences-an…

Speaker Announcements for #ViCEPHEC25 came out yesterday. If you're on Bluesky, follow the conference's account.

**New blog post** Hope in Chemistry Education. michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/6/…

In the @FT today, I argue that if AI is just another productivity tool, the productivity gains will be limited. For lasting economic expansion, AI must catalyze new industries and initiatives. "Had the 19th century focused solely on better looms and ploughs, we would enjoy cheap cloth and abundant grain — but there would be no antibiotics, jet engines or rockets. Economic miracles stem from discovery, not repeating tasks at greater speed."

RSC members: there are still 7 bursaries available for #ViCEPHEC25 through the Higher Education Group. Deadline: July 14th. Please share! Details here: rscheg.wordpress.com/projects/

We were delighted recently to have Dr Charlie Simms @UniofOxford – winner of the 2024 RSC Horizon Education Prize @periodically_ox – visit @unibirmingham to give the talk "PERIODically: Menstruation in Academia" as part of our EDI seminar series, hosted by PhD student Sena Ozturk

I try not to post "real life" stuff but a few days ago I was asked to give a guest talk about movies to a class of 4th graders. I showed clips of Brakhage, Warhol, Painlevé, etc. I explained how cinema is defined by us and that movies can be made with basic materials.

**New Blog Post** I held my office hours in the teaching lab during students' lunch break this year. A quick reflection on how that went. michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/5/…

There was a flurry of emails asking about extensions today, so the deadline has been delayed by one week to 23:59 on Friday May 16th.

@craigdc1983 Hot off the press: the committee has agreed an extension to 23:59 on May 16th.

@craigdc1983 Craig! Hope you're well. To answer your question directly: midnight. It is possible that the deadline will be extended, but there has been a good number of submissions already. So if you have something, I'd encourage you to try and get it in today.

#ViCEPHEC25 submissions close TODAY.

📰The association between Lewis acid and Lewis base in the active encounter complex of frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) has now been quantified in work from Dr Tim Barendt @TabLabChem and Dr Andy Jupp @JuppLab and co-workers published in Nature Communications @NatureComms