Postdoctoral Associate - Bioengineering

All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice's culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name - RICE - Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary:

The McHugh Lab in the Departments of Bioengineering and Chemistry at Rice University (Houston, TX) seeks to hire a postdoctoral associate working in the area of chemistry to develop novel materials for controlled vaccine delivery. At a high level, the McHugh Lab is focused on the development of translational drug delivery platforms with the potential to address a variety of conditions ranging from prophylaxis for infectious diseases to cancer therapies.

These bespoke delivery systems often leverage a combination of material properties and advanced manufacturing techniques and engage the immune system to fight disease.

The postdoctoral fellow selected for this position will co-lead an interdisciplinary project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that aims to employ a controlled-release vaccine delivery platform to create combination vaccines with otherwise incompatible vaccines. Specifically, we aim to encapsulate a next-generation polio vaccine inside particles fabricated using the Particles Uniformly Liquified and Sealed to Encapsulate Drug (PULSED) platform to offset the timing of release from a co-delivered soluble vaccine to prevent immunological interference.

The responsibilities of the postdoctoral fellow selected for this position will include synthesizing and characterizing biodegradable polymers, fabricating polymeric microdevices, and assessing the stability and release of encapsulated vaccines. Additionally, this postdoc will be responsible for directing the work of a research technician working on the project and collaborating with a postdoc specializing in immunology.

Due to its location at the boundary between Rice University and the Texas Medical Center-the largest medical center in the world-the lab is uniquely positioned to advance its technologies towards the clinic with active collaborations with clinician-scientists at MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist, and Texas Heart Institute.

Additional Information:

* This position is a one-year term-limited position funded by a grant with the expectation of renewal beyond the initial appointment period with satisfactory performance.

* Funding for this project has been secured through August 2027, and funds to support continued employment beyond that date will likely be available.

* This position is available immediately; however, the start date is flexible and could be delayed based on the needs of the applicant.

* This position will remain open until filled, with an expected posting end date of May 2026.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate will be a creative, highly motivated early-career scientist with training in chemistry, materials science, drug delivery, and/or polymer science. The candidate should demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills and an interest in building a record of publications and conference presentations. As a senior member of the lab, the postdoc will…