iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Hey thank you!! I really appreciate that!

Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

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 · 08/09/2026

Grab a print to help me pay for daycare 🤣 philustrations.etsy.com/listing/4570...

philustrations.etsy.com

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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

Prints are 20% off! Get them here: philustrations.etsy.com/listing/1157...

philustrations.etsy.com

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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 · 25/09/2025

Thanks for that advice. I'll try to ask around about recent apps from labs I've been in. That's smart.

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Yes yes yes! We had all these conversations. I've made sure they have all the information I would have wanted. And we have some fresh PhDs that we've recently hired in the field that they want to go into. That's helped fill in my gaps of unis and specific labs to avoid or focus on

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

That makes sense. I guess I haven't run across many departments in the US that are supervisor first

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Oh great point! Thanks! I'll absolutely try that approach

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Great advice. I'm drafting the rec letters and working to express my thoughts and opinions in the right way

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Thanks for the tip! That's great advice

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Thankfully, we are in industry so their backup plan is to keep their job. They're in a good situation that way. We've talked about the toughness of this cycle. It's a big bummer but I've tried to motivate them to try despite the challenges

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

That's what I was thinking. I'll try to email folks in departments I've crossed paths with or have connections with first. We're definitely working on the writing skills with their statements of research and purpose!

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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

I’ll pretend my typo was intentional because Colorado = peaks

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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

Grab prints here: philustrations.etsy.com/listing/4353...

philustrations.etsy.com

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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 · 15/07/2025

✨suspended disbelief✨ is a wonderful thing lol

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

I’m really loving the sci-fi space operas. I might look into Expanse next. I’ve heard that’s excellent

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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

Potentially! After the first $1k for the deductible lol

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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

That's what got me through grad school lol that and a lot of beer

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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 · 04/06/2025

I tried this with my art and it was so offensively bad at making real molecules lol

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

And they rarely if ever get even close to a salary of a PhD. Not unless they leave

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Sadly, we still treat undergrad and MS degrees the same. We hire them in as lab techs. There are a few MS folks here that might get promoted a tiny bit faster but they still start out pretty low. We probably need more of these types of people (MS) but the prejudice is still very strong.

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Phil Knutson, PhD @philknutson.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

I'm from the Midwest and I've moved around and am in the Southeast... Up north, it's pop. Out west(ish) it's soda. Down south, it's soda or coke. I say soda now instead of pop and don't say coke because the whole, "what kind of coke?" scenario irks me lol

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