Research Specialist ; McHugh

Special Instructions to Applicants:

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.

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.

The George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing ranks among the top 20 undergraduate engineering programs (US News & World Report) and is strongly committed to nurturing the aspirations of faculty, staff, and students in an inclusive environment. We seek greater representation of women, minorities, people with disabilities, and veterans in disciplines in which they have historically been underrepresented; to attract international students from a wider range of countries and backgrounds;

to accelerate progress in building a faculty and staff who are diverse in background and thought, and we support an inclusive environment that fosters interaction and understanding within our diverse community.

The McHugh Lab in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University seeks to hire a Research Specialist I laboratory technician to support research focused on the development of novel vaccine and drug delivery platforms. 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.

This position will support an interdisciplinary research project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, focused on the development of controlled‑release vaccine delivery systems. The research aims to enable combination vaccines by using particle‑based encapsulation strategies to offset antigen release timing and mitigate immunological interference between co‑delivered vaccines. In particular, the project involves encapsulating a next‑generation polio vaccine within microparticles fabricated using the Particles Uniformly Liquified and Sealed to Encapsulate Drug (PULSED) platform, in coordination with a soluble vaccine component.

Under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and senior lab members, the Research Specialist I will assist with microparticle fabrication, in vitro release studies, biochemical characterization of vaccine stability, and in vivo experimental work, as well as data collection and analysis. The role requires close collaboration with postdoctoral researchers and graduate students and provides hands‑on experience in biomaterials‑based vaccine delivery within a multidisciplinary academic research environment.

More information about the McHugh Lab can be found at (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

The ideal candidate holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, or a related field and is interested in gaining hands‑on research experience in translational vaccine and drug delivery systems. They are detail‑oriented, reliable, and comfortable working in a laboratory environment under supervision, following established protocols, learning new techniques, and collaborating effectively with graduate students, postdoctoral…