Recruitment of Postdoctoral Researchers

 Electrochemistry, analytical chemistry, biosensors, wearables/implantable, material science, animal model, cell culture

A postdoctoral research opportunity is available at the Digital Health Initiative at Rice University for outstanding candidates to apply state-of-the-art sensors and biosensors to develop novel devices for biomedical innovations. The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr. Juliane Sempionatto. Digital technologies hold the potential for changing healthcare from episodic care to continuous care paradigms. Simultaneously, they can be uniquely scalable to deliver healthcare to people not possible today and to provide a framework for more equitable healthcare. Our mission is to invent and translate novel sensors, new care systems, and AI-based intelligent tools to realize equitable healthcare for the future.

Learn more about the Digital Health Initiative here: https://dhi.rice.edu/

Description
This position will focus on the fabrication, validation, and human testing of (bio)sensors for healthcare applications. Wearable or point-of-care biosensing platforms will be developed for continuous monitoring of analytes in alternative, non-invasive biofluids such as sweat, saliva, and interstitial fluid. The day-to-day activities include: (1) Electrode fabrication; (2) (Bio)sensor preparation; (3) In vitro testing; (4) Real sample testing; (5) Human testing (6) Cell culture/ Animal model studies.

Demonstrated experience in the following areas is desired:

1. Electrode fabrication: Screen printing, ink-jet printing, clean-room manufacturing, additive manufacturing, direct ink writing, 3D printing, laser engraving, other sensor/electrode fabrication techniques. Bio-inks including synthesis and chemical functionalization of nano/biomaterials. Mechanical resilience tests.
2. (Bio)sensor preparation: Experience with polymer and protein chemistry, nanocomposites, antibody conjugates. Experience with enzymatic biosensors, immunosensors, molecularly imprinted polymers, aptamers, nucleic acid receptors, inorganic sensors, and other sensor modalities.
3. In vitro testing: Analytical chemistry, statistics, sensor calibration, sensor validation, reproducibility, repeatability, sensor stability, interference test.
4. Real sample testing: Sample collection from human patients, blood collection, sweat collection, saliva collection. Sample characterization: HPLC, MS, ELISA, commercial quantification tests, commercial biosensors (e.g., glucometer), and other validation techniques.
5. Human testing: Visits to hospitals and contact with patients, human tests during exercise, human tests during daily activities. Animal testing for implantable devices.
6. Animal model and cell culture: Experience with histopathological analysis, including tissue/sample sectioning, immunohistochemical staining, fluorescent and confocal microscopy analysis, etc. Experience with 2D/3D cell culture, cytocompatibility assays, immunostaining, cell differentiation, flow cytometry, RT-PCR, ELISA, 3D Bioprinting, tissue engineering.

The collaborative environment requires a candidate who has the ability to interface with researchers of different disciplines and to learn topics outside their area of expertise. The candidate will interact with a large interdisciplinary group including doctors and professionals of the Texas Medical Center, research experts from Rice University, Caltech, UCSD, Johns Hopkins and other universities, and industry collaborators. Candidates will be expected to communicate their results through journal publications, conferences, and funding agency presentations.

Inclusion and diversity are core values, the candidate will be expected to support a healthy and interdisciplinary work environment. The postdoc candidate will be welcome to engage in business development, outreach activities, mentoring and teaching programs.

Basic Qualifications

PhD (or equivalent international degree) in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, or related disciplines. International applicants should be available to relocate to the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

Publication record in the areas of Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Biosensors, Wearable and Implantable Devices, Microfluidics, Bioengineering, or related fields. Well-developed writing and presentation skills. Experience training and mentoring junior scientists.

Application Requirements

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. 3 representative publications
3. Reference contact information (no letters are required, email contact only)
4. 20 minutes presentation of previous research (for Zoom interview only)
5. 5 minutes presentation of future work and expectations (for Zoom interview only)

The application materials should be directly sent to Dr. Juliane Sempionatto at jsemp@rice.edu