Join Us!

We build tools that let people do things with biology they could not do before. If that sounds like your kind of problem, let’s talk.

What We Work On

We learn the machinery biology already runs on, rebuild it in an open tube, and ship the result into the wild. Right now that means phage assembled from a genome sequence with no host to grow them in, and diagnostics that hold up in a real sample instead of ultra-clean lab water. There is more on the research page.

What You Would Actually Do

Take apart a cell to learn how its machinery works together, and find what is holding a reaction back
Assemble a platform where we know what each part does, so rate and yield are set rather than discovered
Reboot a phage from its genome sequence, without the host it normally needs
Build a sensor that returns a true answer in serum, not just in buffer
Take those tools to real biomedical samples with collaborators at Houston Methodist and across the Texas Medical Center

Biomedical samples are what we have now, not the limit. If one of these is what you want to spend the next several years on, tell me which one and why.

Open Positions

The lab opens at Rice in January 2027. I am recruiting Ph.D. students in the Fall 2026 cycle.

Graduate students: actively recruiting from any relevant program at Rice. Get in touch once you are admitted, or when you are coming to campus for an interview.
- We currently recruit from students already admitted to Rice graduate programs. So admission comes first, and lab matching comes after.
Postdoctoral scholars: inquiries welcome. When you write, include your CV, a short description of your career plan, and contact information for three references.
- We encourage interested candidates to reach out early with career plans. What I am after is an exchange: you bring expertise the lab doesn’t have, and I contribute a new lens you don’t have yet.
Undergraduate researchers: inquiries welcome. When you write, include a one-page resume and a list of your previous coursework.

What I Care About

Curiosity, creativity, and being a good teammate. The questions you ask tell me more.

The lab is new, so you would join as one of its founding members. You will get a lot of my time, and a real hand in shaping the setup and culture of this lab. That is the best reason to come here early.

I think a good mentor gets you to where you pick the problem, design the solution, and defend why it matters. My goal is to get you there. My mentors gave me the freedom to own my science and fully experience the joy of discovery. I want you to have the same.

Let’s Talk

To start our conversation, email me at yz350[at]rice[dot]edu with a few sentences about what you want to work on and why this lab.

I read all of them.