Graduate Students
Our lab is accepting graduate students across all tracks at Baylor College Medicine. Our lab offers a diverse and rich environment for building your education and growing as a scientist. We are seeking highly motivated students with a strong sense of curiosity that are not afraid of tackling difficult questions. Interested students should contact Russell at russell.ray@bcm.edu to discuss potential rotation projects.
Undergraduate Students
Our lab regularly hosts a variety of students from Rice University, University of Houston, University of St. Thomas and other school in the Houston area. We have a variety projects ranging from neuroscience to electrical and mechanical engineering to software programming and data analysis.
Staff Positions
No staff openings at this time for the Ray lab. Please check back.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
View information below for three postdoctoral fellowship opportunities available in the Russell Ray Lab,
An immediate opening for a post-doctoral fellowship to study the direct and indirect effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the nervous system is available in the Ray lab at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas (molecularneurobiology.org). Our laboratory takes a multidisciplinary approach using a variety of genetic, molecular, and viral techniques to target highly specific brainstem cell types for functional, molecular and anatomical study in physiology, behavior, and disease.
This position will head an effort to use a series of humanized conditional on/off hACE2 expressing mouse models engineered in the Ray lab that are able to either 1)direct SARS-CoV-2 infection to a specific organ or cell type while leaving the remaining mouse uninfected, or conversely; 2) protect a specific organ or cell type in background of a whole body systemic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mouse models will be assayed for cardio-respiratory function using a novel BSL-3 cardio-respiratory and metabolic measurement system and for behavior in both acute and recovery phases of infection (i.e., Long COVID).
The candidate should have a doctoral degree, strong research background, and initiative to lead projects. The ideal candidate would have experience in BLS3 animal studies. Experience in respiratory physiology, genetic mouse models, as well as statistical knowledge sufficient for handling datasets and addressing different variance components for large scale experiments (phenotypic screens) will also be helpful.
Additionally, our laboratory is active in the development of new tools for improved access and study of neural circuits and thus offers several training opportunities in mouse genetic model generation (including CRISPR/Cas9 techniques), development of novel viral vectors, as well as protein engineering and purification for in vivo applications that offers exquisite training opportunities.
Baylor College of Medicine offers an outstanding research environment at the Texas Medical Center with more than 50 non-profit institutions which offers one of the highest densities of clinical, translational, and basic science research facilities in the world. BCM and the Ray lab are equal opportunity employers committed to building a culturally diverse intellectual community and encourage applications from women and minorities.
An immediate opening for an NIH post-doctoral fellowship (R01HL161142) to study genetic mechanisms in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is available in the Ray lab at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas (molecularneurobiology.org). Our laboratory takes a multidisciplinary approach using a variety of genetic, molecular, and viral techniques to target highly specific brainstem cell types for functional, molecular and anatomical study in physiology, behavior, and disease.
This position will head an effort to carry out a first of its kind genetic screen to identify genes that are required for neuro-developmental and cellular processes critical to protective neonate respiratory reflexes that may be perturbed in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other congenital respiratory pathophysiologies. To that end, we are in a unique position to leverage the Baylor College of Medicine Knockout Mouse Project-2 (KOMP2) effort to knock out or mutate and characterize every gene in the mouse genome. To screen KOMP2 mutants, we will utilize an array of novel and highly innovative closed loop feature detection robotic platforms for automated neonate cardio-respiratory measurements developed in our lab. View video. Successful outcomes will uncover genetic, molecular, and cellular developmental processes critical to neonate cardio-respiratory function that may play a role in congenital pathophysiologies.
The candidate should have a doctoral degree, strong research background, and initiative to lead projects. The ideal candidate would have experience in respiratory physiology, genetic mouse models, and statistical knowledge sufficient for handling datasets and addressing different variance components for large scale experiments (phenotypic screens).
Additionally, our laboratory is active in the development of new tools for improved access and study of neural circuits and thus offers several training opportunities in mouse genetic model generation (including CRISPR/Cas9 techniques), development of novel viral vectors, as well as protein engineering and purification for in vivo applications that offers exquisite training opportunities.
Baylor College of Medicine offers an outstanding research environment at the Texas Medical Center with more than 50 non-profit institutions which offers one of the highest densities of clinical, translational, and basic science research facilities in the world. BCM and the Ray lab are equal opportunity employers committed to building a culturally diverse intellectual community and encourage applications from women and minorities.
An immediate opening for an NIH post-doctoral fellowship (R01HL130249) to study brainstem respiratory circuits is available in the Ray lab at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas. The current focus in the laboratory is functionally mapping the organization of the central noradrenergic system in regulating cardio-respiratory function and its role in pathophysiologies ranging from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Rett Syndrome to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.
Our laboratory takes a multidisciplinary approach using a variety of genetic, molecular, and viral techniques to target highly specific brainstem cell types for functional, molecular and anatomical study in physiology, behavior, and disease.
The candidate should have a doctoral degree, strong research background, and initiative to lead projects. The ideal candidate would have experience in respiratory physiology, genetic mouse models, histology and microscopy, and statistical knowledge sufficient for handling large datasets.
Additionally, our laboratory is active in the development of new tools for improved access and study of neural circuits and thus offers several training opportunities in mouse genetic model generation (including CRISPR/Cas9 techniques), development of novel viral vectors, as well as protein engineering and purification for in vivo applications that offers exquisite training opportunities.
Baylor College of Medicine offers an outstanding research environment at the Texas Medical Center with more than 50 non-profit institutions that offers one of the highest densities of clinical, translational, and basic science research facilities in the world. BCM and the Ray lab are equal opportunity employers committed to building a culturally diverse intellectual community and encourage applications from women and minorities.