Special Instructions to Applicants: Please attach a proposal along with CV. See below for proposal evaluation criteria.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

1.  Does the proposal have a high potential to advance the Rice WaTER Institute’s mission and enhance its impact?

2.   Does the proposal have high merit and originality (including compelling approach to overcome scientific, technical and scaleup barriers), and offer a transformative new idea that is exciting to industry and/other stakeholders?

3.   Pending satisfactory results, is there a clear and significant potential for collaboration with other academic partners leading to significant external funding?

4.   If the proposal addresses ongoing research by the Institute, does it offer a superior interdisciplinary alternative?

Research project proposals do not have a template but must address all the above evaluation criteria (with a proposed duration of 24 months) and not exceed 3 pages with Times Roman Font 12. Brevity is appreciated.  

Position Summary:

The vision of the Rice WaTER Institute is to create accessible clean water technologies that enhance human capacity and prosperity. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be recognized as a fellow of Rice University Academy of Fellows, which requires an outstanding record of scholarship and exceptional potential for future intellectual achievement.  A commitment to interdisciplinary water technology research is also required. Applicants for the 2026 competition should have completed all requirements for the doctorate before August 31, 2026, and submit a research proposal along with their CV.

Minimum Requirements:

• Ph.D. or equivalent degree
• No experience required

Skills:

• Proficiency in the areas of specialization listed above, encompassing possession, comprehension, and application of comprehensive knowledge.
• Excellent communication skills to articulate their research findings both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently and professionally with minimal supervision and direction.
• Ability to collaborate in an interdisciplinary environment.
• Strong mentoring capabilities to foster the growth and development of peers and junior researchers within the academic community.

Essential Functions:

• Performs experiments, analyzes data, and/or develops models.

• Publishes and presents research findings.

• Supports project management and collaboration across institutions or disciplines.

• Mentors, oversees, and/or trains junior research team members.

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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 [email protected] for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at [email protected] . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.