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Phil Knutson, PhD

@philknutson.bsky.social
3.8K followers 1.9K following 300 posts

PhD Industry Chemist ⌬ Organic and Polymer Chemistry ⌬ #chemsky ⌬ Science+Art ⌬ Aspiring Science Communicator ⌬ Views expressed here are my own ⌬ My links: linktr.ee/pH.ilustrations

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 13h
Lignin chemistry!! I’ve drawn a line tree with the lignin polymer behind it. I’ve drawn it as one single polymer throughout! This messy, highly irregular biopolymer gives plants structural strength and helps protect their cell walls. #sciart #chemsky
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Chitosan chemistry art #sciart #chemsky #science #chemistry
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I’m back! My first new piece since my daughter was born! This one is all about chitosan: a versatile biopolymer derived from chitin found in crustacean shells, including lobster. The structures represent 90% deacetylation. Used in everything from packaging to drug delivery #sciart
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
I’m absolutely devastated by what’s going on in Minneapolis. As a Minnesota-native living elsewhere, it’s killing me seeing what’s going on in the streets of my home state. I hope this ends soon. I hope republicans come to their senses. This is war against our own country. Murder.
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Reposted by Phil Knutson, PhD
Chemjobber @chemjobber.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
At my blog, I write more about my concerns for aspiring entering grad students in chemistry for Fall 2026. To reiterate - if you don't have a plan for next fall RIGHT NOW, you need to talk to your professors and advisers and develop a plan NOW: chemjobber.blogspot.com/2025/11/towa... #chemchat 🧪⚗️
chemjobber.blogspot.com
Towards a data-informed prediction of Fall 2026 US chemistry PhD admissions | a warning to senior undergraduates
As faithful readers of this blog know, I found the statement that Harvard Chemistry and Chemical Biology was cutting its Fall 2026 entering ...
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Yes, please. And then apply it to both sides of the aisle www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | More Democrats Need to Follow Pelosi’s Example and Retire
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
9-Oxodecenoic acid (9-ODA)! It’s an unsaturated fatty acid pheromone secreted by honeybee queens (Apis mellifera). It attracts male drones and helps regulate colony structure by suppressing worker ovary development, an effect strengthened by 9-hydroxydecenoic acid. #chemsky #sciart
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Humulone! 🍻 Humulone is a complex organic acid found in hop resin and plays a huge role in beer bitterness. When hops are boiled during brewing, humulone isomerizes to form iso-alpha acids meaning more soluble and intensely bitter isomers. And it’s in my beer art! #chemsky #sciart
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
What's the best way to help a mentee get into grad school? I'm in industry and I have a lab tech that is really good and I think he'd do really well in grad school. Do I email professors? Email department grad school coordinators? Don't email anyone? #chemsky
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Went a took a quick peak at where my chemistry career began! A summer REU 14 yrs ago and then first year of grad school 12 yrs ago 🤯
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
My piece on molecules found in magnolia trees. Some of these are magnolol, honokiol, and magnoflorine but there are many more and I’ve drawn just a few. Hope you like it! #sciart #chemsky #art
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
I haven't read for pleasure since... maybe early college. I'm finally getting back into it with audiobooks. Recently. I've read six books of the Red Rising series, six books of the Sun Eater series, working through the Mistborn series, and a hand full of others. All of them are sooo good
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
I'm still muting so many accounts lol please make it stop
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Bonus: A storm knocked a large branch onto our roof and now there’s a nice hole letting water into our living room and kitchen 💯
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
The US and Iran are bombing each other... My company is actively restructuring to get rid of head count... The roof on my house is rotting and needs to be fixed 💰... HOW DO I FOCUS AT WORK 😂🫠
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Ugh… targeted ads are getting a little too good #chemsky
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Alright, I don't foresee a fix so I'm muting the army of accounts blasting my chemsky feed. Idk how many more RSC articles or JACS cover arts I can handle
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Another opportunity for innovation! How do we get natural colors into products and not fall apart in most applications? Either innovate or market to people that color means less biodegradable and environmentally friendly. #chemsky
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
We have a position open at Milliken to join the amazing Encapsys team in Wisconsin doing microencapsulation! I was just up there visiting them again last week. It's a great group of people. PhDs in materials and polymer chemistry are encouraged to apply! #chemjobs #chemsky
careers.milliken.com
Encapsys Advanced R&D Chemist
Encapsys Advanced R&D Chemist
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Sign me up! But... I imagine my employer and most others would not say the same. "Hey, make less money by slowing your innovation and manufacturing processes."
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
I liked scrolling through chemsky to see what the chemsky people were up to... Now it's all journals. Just journal articles everywhere lol TOCs and cover pages
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Oh and we still have a scientist role open at our Encapsys location in Wisconsin doing encapsulation chemistry! #chemsky #chemjobs
careers.milliken.com
Scientist, Encapsys
Scientist, Encapsys
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
I got to fly on the company PJ yesterday! We flew to our Encapsys business unit for an internal conference. Not something I ever thought I’d do while in the trenches of grad school ✈️ #chemsky
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
While looking for something else, I stumbled on this interesting back and forth from the early 1970s in C&E News. I read more letters to the editor and the general vibe is men in chemistry and the chemistry community were pretty scummy... #chemsky #womeninchemistry #womeninstem
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
There's a scientist position open at Encapsys, a part of Milliken & Co. If you're interested in doing some really interesting formulation, materials, and polymer chemistry with a really stellar group of people, apply! #chemjobs #chemsky careers.milliken.com/job/Appleton...
careers.milliken.com
Scientist, Encapsys
Scientist, Encapsys
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Reposted by Phil Knutson, PhD
Vy Dong @vydong.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Thanks so much @philknutson.bsky.social for the awesome art work—it’s found its way to my office 🤩
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Reposted by Phil Knutson, PhD
Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Like this guy?
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
You know you're old when you use your lunch break to watch videos on building retaining walls and garden bed edging...
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
The jokes just write themselves now
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
This is Lignin Chemistry. I drew a single polymer chain of lignin behind a tree. Lignin is a polymer found in vascular plants and it’s made up of p-coumaryl, coniferyl, and sinapyl alcohols connected in various linkage types through a radical polymerization process. #chemsky #art #sciart
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Reposted by Phil Knutson, PhD
Brendan @chemscrapes.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Love this stuff! #sciart #chemsky As a person who hides behind a tablet where you can pretty ignore attention to detail and redo, and redo, and redo.....I am in awe!
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
My tools 🖊️ #chemsky #sciart
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Reposted by Phil Knutson, PhD
Brendan @chemscrapes.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Dirty Glassware #chemsky
some round bottom flasks and a conical flasks are lining up outside a "strip joint" with flashing lights around the sign which reads "XXX, Beakers Beakers Beakers.  Live!  On Stage! "

One of the round bottom flasks is obviously underage and is attracting the glare of the flask selling to tickets.

The title of the cartoon is "Dirty Glassware".  Dirty coz they are going to a strip joint.
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
Drawin a tree 👀 I haven’t thrown in the chemistry quite yet! #chemsky #sciart
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
I want my next job to be near a window. Chemistry labs with no windows should be a crime
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Happy International Whiskey Day! Here’s my piece on whiskey chemistry. It includes phenolic, ester, and lactones that add the aroma and flavor of whiskey #chemsky #sciart #science
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Reposted by Phil Knutson, PhD
Nessa Carson @supersciencegrl.co.uk · 25/03/2025
Chemical vendors... we are not on social media in our (most of us) free time to be sold to! You have to add value, in my opinion :) there are vendors and vendor reps I love following on socials. They do more than just list unremarkable products :) #chemsky
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
This paper is really cool. Great synthesis but I really love the highlighting of the functional groups or areas of the molecule that are changing/connecting in each step. It makes it much easier to follow #chemsky
pubs.acs.org
Total Synthesis of Enlicitide Decanoate
We report the total synthesis of enlicitide decanoate, an orally bioavailable inhibitor of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 that is being developed for the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It is a highly complex macrocyclic peptide with a significant number of nonpeptide structural elements that presents a daunting synthetic chemistry challenge. We describe the development of a convergent, efficient, and robust manufacturing process that enables the large-scale production of enlicitide.
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Okay… how terrible would this idea for an art piece be?? Chitosan/chitin and lobsters? 🦞 #chemsky #sciart
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
I’ve been learning about lignin for a new piece I’m making. And i still love drawing chemistry on the Remarkable tablet #chemsky #science
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
One of the very few downsides that industry has compared to academia... I can't post about the cool shit I'm working on. Cool reaction setups, eye-catching color testing, or beautiful new instruments #chemsky
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Murphy was really psyched for the Severance finale last night
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Twice a year we hold a "Community of Innovators (COI)" internal conference to share and collaborate within our company. My lab tech and I won best "early innovation" poster at this event! Super proud of all the hard work he's done on this really tough polymer synthesis project 👏 #chemsky
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
I saved up my pennies and finally got an EV! 🔌🚘 Loving it so far! My old car didn’t have cruise control so this has been a step up 😂
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Interesting situation at the University of Denver 👀 #chemsky #labsafety www.reddit.com/r/chemistry/...
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Natural products chemistry, but cool 😎 #chemsky #sciart
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
@christmann.bsky.social let me know I missed a crucial bond in one of the natural products! I’ve fixed it and it’ll be corrected in the prints #chemsky
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
This is my 16in x 20in print of my Natural Products piece! #chemsky #sciart
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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Age 24: 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺 Next morning: I feel great! Age 34: 🍺🍺 Next morning: Kill me.
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