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Jack Weis, a resident of Utah, has expanded his job search across industries despite his academic credentials and research that was cited by the Nobel Committee in 2024.
Candidates can apply through the official SSC website, ssc.gov.in, until October 7, at 11 pm. (File/Representative image)
A 30-year-old chemical engineering PhD graduate from Princeton University has applied for more than 2,300 jobs since completing his doctorate in 2024 but has yet to secure stable employment, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Jack Weis, who is from Salt Lake City, Utah, has expanded his job search across industries despite his academic credentials and research that was cited by the Nobel Committee in 2024. His experience highlights the difficulties some highly educated graduates face while trying to enter a competitive job market.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Weis initially focused on research positions at pharmaceutical companies and prestigious postdoctoral fellowships at national laboratories. When those applications did not lead to employment, he widened his search to include software engineering and other roles.
His applications eventually extended to jobs outside his field, including a food-preparation position at a company that sells frozen crab cakes. He also reached out to alumni from Princeton University and Rice University, where he had completed his undergraduate studies, but networking did not produce the breakthrough he was seeking.
Weis graduated summa cum laude from Rice University before pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering at Princeton. He completed his doctorate in 2024, with research focused on ice formation and molecular interactions.
His research was cited by the Nobel Committee in 2024 as an example of the use of machine learning in scientific research. The Nobel Prize in Physics that year was awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for discoveries and inventions that enabled machine learning with artificial neural networks.
Despite this academic background, Weis has struggled to translate his qualifications into stable employment.
Weis briefly found contract work training artificial intelligence systems. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, he secured the opportunity in January 2026 through a startup that hired specialists to help train AI models using their professional expertise.
The work paid $70 an hour, but the number of hours available varied considerably. His workload ranged from around four to 20 hours a week before assignments became less frequent.
In mid-March, he was informed that his contract was ending, leaving him searching for work again.
With traditional employment proving difficult to secure, Weis is exploring other options. According to the report, he is considering law school and preparing to take the Law School Admission Test in November 2026. He is also working on an entrepreneurial idea involving an AI-powered drone designed to help remove invasive weeds.
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October 22, 2026, 3:24 PM IST
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