Special instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter 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, 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 Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies (Rice360), a multi-disciplinary institute at Rice University, is a leader in global health technology education, research, and implementation, with a distinctive focus on experiential and problem-based learning. Rice360 develops highly effective, low-cost healthcare solutions addressing critical healthcare needs in underserved communities and educates a cadre of future leaders to continue to innovate and implement solutions. Rice360 offers a number of award-winning experiential education programs, including a Global Health Technologies Minor, international internships, and Global Health Technologies post-baccalaureate fellowships. Program participants engage directly in the design, fabrication, evaluation, deployment, and global scale of innovative new technologies.

Rice360 works closely with partners in underserved communities throughout the world, including low- and middle-income countries and the United States. Rice360 is the lead institution for the Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) program. The NEST360 alliance is working with African governments to transform hospital newborn care by installing a bundle of rugged devices, educating clinicians to use devices and biomedical engineers to maintain them, and implementing locally-owned data dashboards to drive uptake and quality.

The Research Engineer works in the development of low-cost healthcare technologies designed by Rice360 and is primarily responsible for conducting research and prototype development, collecting data, performing basic statistical analysis, proofreading and editing published written work, and drafting abstracts, articles, reports, and other publications. In addition, they contribute to project management responsibilities and ensure comprehensive documentation for project longevity. Together with the Director of Technology Development, the Research Engineer will assist in guiding the cadre of GHF in developing new technologies and will interact extensively with clinicians and other external stakeholders for the implementation and improvement of Rice360 products.

The ideal candidate should have extensive skills and experience in developing clinical technology for sustainable use in low- or under-resourced settings, as well as in rapid prototyping and design iteration, human factors, and design for manufacture. Demonstrated ability for effective project management in an organized, detailed, and collaborative manner is also important.

Workplace Requirements

This is a full-time position (Monday-Friday 8am-5pm) based in Houston, TX, with occasional early morning, evening, or weekend work required to accommodate time zone differences for important meetings with teams across sub-Saharan Africa, in the US, and the UK. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: $48,000 - $52,000/year, contingent upon qualifications and experience.

This position is term-limited and funded by a grant, soft and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of funding.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or physical sciences, preferably in bioengineering/biomedical engineering
• One or more (1+) year(s) of related experience in developing biomedical engineering technologies and/or in the healthcare field
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis may be substituted

Skills

• Listening, verbal and written communication, analytical, and research skills
• Good scientific and numerical skills with meticulous attention to details and accuracy
• Ability to work in a team environment, to participate actively, to collaborate and to motivate others in the lab
• Critical thinking, technical, data collection and interviewing skills
• Statistical and graphical analysis skills
• Ability to maintain quality, safety and / or infection control standards
• Ability to plan and schedule effectively

Preferences

• Master's degree in engineering or physical sciences
• 1+ year(s) of medical device or biotechnology industry experience developing biomedical engineering technologies
• Demonstrated interest in global health technology development
• Experience developing technology for low- or under-resourced settings
• Experience working in low-resource settings or with non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
• Experience working in an institution of higher education
• Experience working in a highly collaborative and multi-cultural environment
• Knowledge of software statistical packages such as Stata, SAS, R, or HLM
• Knowledge of CAD and related software such as SolidWorks or Fusion360
• Ability to work under deadline with flexibility, tact, good judgment, discretion, and take initiative
• Demonstrated sensitivity to low resource settings
• Demonstrates Rice360 Core Values: Innovation, Equity, Community, Integrity, Accountability, Empowerment, and Transformation

Essential Functions

• Conducts specialized research and experiments
• Collects, tracks and analyzes data using spreadsheets and databases
• Communicates the results of research through verbal presentations, written reports, and written articles submitted for publication in conjunction with PI
• May assist in the administration of research projects
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions / Information

• Designs and develops affordable, high performance clinical technologies for sustainable use in low-resource settings
• Engages in rapid-prototyping and design iteration to improve upon existing technology
• Considers human factors, usability, design for manufacture, and relevant regulatory standards
• Employs project management best practices and maintains comprehensive documentation to progress technology development, manage deadlines, and reach project milestones
• Collects data and performs data analysis to inform project decisions and aid in reporting
• Reports research findings through formal and informal communication of technical results via presentations and reports to project teams and organization leaders
• Works with external partners to advance technologies towards commercialization
• Conducts technical landscaping and competitive analyses to identify emerging technologies, unmet needs, and opportunities for product innovation
• Contributes to Rice360 education ecosystem through undergraduate mentorship and promotion of Rice360 programs

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

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Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University's Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.