Research Job at Rice University, USA | Earn Upto $52,900 | Apply Now
If you are a motivated life sciences or bioengineering graduate looking to transition your wet-lab experience into high-impact translational medicine, this full-time position at Rice University is an exceptional opportunity. Located on an expansive 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, this role places you directly within the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing. For detail-oriented technicians searching for a high-trajectory Research Job, this position offers hands-on mastery over automated microparticle fabrication, in vitro release dynamics, and preclinical workflows funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It serves as an elite launchpad for an academic or corporate Rice University career and stands out as a premier choice for candidates tracking top-tier Biology Jobs in the Texas Medical Center ecosystem.
- Job Position: Research Specialist I (McHugh)
- Location: Houston, TX, United States
- Job ID:
About The Organization
Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report, celebrated for its elite 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a rich culture anchored by its core values: Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence (RICE). The George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing actively fosters an inclusive environment, prioritizing diverse thought and cross-disciplinary breakthrough research.
About The Lab
This role is housed within the McHugh Lab in the Department of Bioengineering. The lab focuses on the engineering of translational drug delivery platforms designed to solve systemic clinical limitations, ranging from cancer immunotherapies to infectious disease prophylaxis. Specifically, this residency supports a high-visibility project centered on next-generation polio eradication. By utilizing the lab’s proprietary Particles Uniformly Liquified and Sealed to Encapsulate Drug (PULSED) microparticle platform, the team aims to build controlled-release combination vaccines that offset antigen release timing and mitigate immunological interference.
Research Job – Key Responsibilities
As a Research Specialist I, you will serve as a technical contributor, executing precise polymer processing and biochemical analyses under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and senior postdoctoral researchers.
Your core laboratory, engineering, and data logging duties will include:
- Microparticle Fabrication: Operating laboratory machinery to fabricate and process advanced polymer-based microparticles following established PULSED platform protocols.
- In Vitro Release Kinetics: Conducting automated, long-term in vitro release studies to evaluate the structural degradation and release kinetics of controlled-release vaccine delivery architectures to advance this Research Job.
- Biochemical Stability Assays: Performing precise analytical assays, including Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs), to evaluate protein stability, antigenicity, and overall vaccine performance metrics.
- Preclinical In Vivo Support: Assisting senior lab members with in vivo animal studies in strict accordance with approved protocols and institutional safety guidelines.
- Reagent & Operations Upkeep: Formulating complex chemical reagents, preparing materials, calibrating laboratory equipment, and supporting general laboratory housekeeping routines to sustain an efficient workspace for this Biology Jobs track.
- Data Synthesis & Logging: Collecting, organizing, and analyzing multi-parametric experimental data while maintaining unalterable laboratory records and electronic notebooks.
Qualifications & Profile Requirements For Research Job
This laboratory technician track is tailored for reliable, detail-oriented individuals who show strong learning agility and an active desire to master translational biomaterials concepts.
- Minimum Required Criteria:
- Educational Foundation: A Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biology, or a closely related quantitative scientific discipline.
- Laboratory Track Record: A minimum of 1 year of relevant post-graduate laboratory experience, including hands-on wet lab work at the bench. (Additional related experience may be substituted for the formal education requirement on a year-for-year basis).
- Core Technical Competencies: Ability to perform laboratory techniques accurately and reproducibly following written protocols, paired with basic data analysis and record-keeping skills.
- Legal Authorization: Authorization to work in the United States without restriction.
- Preferred Assets:
- Prior conceptual exposure to biomaterials, controlled drug delivery, or fundamental immunology.
- Hands-on familiarity running biochemistry assays like ELISA or Western Blotting to enhance your Rice University career.
- Direct exposure to in vitro cell culture or in vivo animal models handling.
Logistics, Salary Range & Workspace Model
- Location: Houston, Texas, United States (Glen Site / Main Campus).
- Workplace Requirements: Exclusively On-Site (100% in-person laboratory setting).
- Hiring Range: $46,000 – $52,900 annually (Exempt, salaried position under FLSA; not eligible for overtime compensation).
- Contract Duration: One-year initial appointment funded by grant and restricted soft funds, with continued Research Job employment strictly contingent on satisfactory performance and grant renewal.
- Corporate Benefits: Access to comprehensive medical/dental insurance plans, life and disability protections, a robust university 401(k) matching program, paid vacation/holidays, and professional development tracks.
In short, the Research Specialist I position within the McHugh Lab at Rice University is a definitive route to transitioning your undergraduate science degree into a premium, grant-backed bioengineering asset. Securing this appointment allows you to step away from generic laboratory tasks and directly master the advanced microparticle encapsulation, polymer chemistry, and ELISA platforms that shape global health initiatives. If you live in or are ready to relocate to Houston, possess a year of verified wet-lab experience, and want to establish an elite academic resume, apply today to secure this premier Research Job, launch a meaningful Rice University career, and lock in this outstanding choice among top Biology Jobs.
