Research Technician I

Position Summary

The Laboratory for Synthetic Macromolecular Assemblies (PI: George Lu) at the Rice Bioengineering Department has an opening for a research technician position. The lab engineers gas-filled protein nanostructures to enable ultrasound-based imaging and control of cells for basic research, cell therapies and biomaterials. The ideal candidate for the position will have strong interest and background in genetic engineering. The candidate is expected to have strong communication skills to work in a diverse and collaborative environment, leadership skills and commitment to succeed in a career as a scientist.

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 George R. Brown School of Engineering 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.

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to diversity at all levels and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

Essential Functions

• Designs and develops genetic circuit and engineered circuit for basic research, cell-based therapies and material science applications
• Designs computational and machine learning algorithms to study the behavior of engineering proteins and cells
• Evaluates, optimizes, and validates the design of engineered cells with experimental data
• Writes papers and present research at conferences
• Supports project management
• Assists with proposal development to obtain research funding, and mentor junior team members
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• HS diploma and 3 years of lab experience
  • Education may count towards years of experience
• Knowledge of genetic engineering, mammalian synthetic biology and genome engineering
• Ability to independently design and evaluate synthetic biology experiment
• Familiarity to the current literature in the field of synthetic biology and cancer therapies
• Enthusiasm to work in highly collaborative and diverse environment and interact with industrial and academic collaborators
• Possess a logical and independent mind
• Excellent listening, verbal and written communication, analytical, and research skills
• Excellent scientific and numerical skills with meticulous attention to details and accuracy

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in bioengineering-related field
• Related experience in molecular biology, cellular engineering, and routine biochemistry lab experiments
• Demonstrated leadership skills and commitment to a career as a researcher

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Current Rice University COVID policies, which include vaccination, face mask, testing, gatherings, occupancy limits, and travel policies can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies