The Stabryla Lab led by Dr. Lisa Stabryla is looking for a motivated PhD student to join her group in the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago, starting in the fall of 2025. The student will begin working on potential projects pertaining to evaluating antimicrobial mechanisms of engineered nanomaterials, understanding fundamental pathways for evolution and transmission of antimicrobial resistance in the built and natural environment, and developing new monitoring strategies for identifying drug-resistant bacteria and resistance hotspots in the environment. The candidate should have a background (or strong interests) in applying both traditional microbiological cell culture methods as well as next-generation sequencing techniques in pure cultures and mixed microbial communities/complex microbial systems.
The Stabryla Lab focuses on understanding how we can more effectively respond to emerging resistances in natural and built environments, including both through the sustainable design of next-generation, nano-enabled antimicrobial materials and the development of novel AMR monitoring strategies (https://cme.uic.edu/profiles/stabryla-lisa/). Our research specifically considers microbial evolution and fitness as strategies to be incorporated into their design as well as investigating new phenotype-to-genotype relationships that can enable development of novel phenotypic and/or genotypic methods for broader pathogen detection.
The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applications received by February 15 for international students (and April 1 for domestic students) will be given full consideration.
Candidate Requirement:
- Must have a bachelor’s degree in relevant fields including but not limited to environmental engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, and biology/microbiology
- A master’s degree in relevant fields is highly desirable but not required
- Previous research experience with environmental microbiology or bioinformatics would be favorable
- Be able and willing to conduct independent research projects as well as exhibit team working abilities
- Have and/or be willing to develop excellent scientific writing and oral communication skills
We would offer:
- Competitive stipend and benefits (tuition fully covered)
- Supportive research environment with state-of-art facilities and equipment
- Multidisciplinary collaboration for convergence research
- Professional development opportunities, including travel fund for attending conferences and workshops, leadership development, and career guidance
To apply:
Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Lisa Stabryla and email the following documents to stabryla@uic.edu:
1. Cover letter that highlights your educational background, research experience and interests, and career goals
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Unofficial transcripts
4. Contact information for 3 references (including names, affiliations, and emails)
More about University of Illinois—Chicago (UIC):
- UIC, located in the heart of downtown Chicago, is Chicago’s groundbreaking public research university (https://www.uic.edu/) and one of the nation’s most ethnically and culturally rich college campuses in America. This diverse and stimulating urban environment is home to 34,000 students, nearly half of which are first-generation students.
- It has been federally designated as a Minority-Serving Institution, serving high enrollments of racial and ethnic minority and low-income students.
- It was ranked No. 73 in Best Engineering Schools (https://engineering.uic.edu/) according to the latest U.S. News & World Report (UIC’s ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges and National Universities is #82).
- It has also been ranked 8th in social mobility among public and private universities according to The Wall Street Journal and within the top 50 most innovative according to the U.S. News & World Report.
- The Graduate College at UIC is home to 100 master’s programs and 63 doctoral programs. UIC is also home to the largest medical school in the country.
- The Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering is comprised of outstanding research faculty conducting world-class research, with CME researchers among the top 2% in their fields (https://cme.uic.edu/graduate/).
- Hundreds of on-campus student clubs and organizations exist and contribute to student engagement and student success.
- UIC is also leading the way in efforts to address climate change by becoming a carbon neutral, zero waste, net zero water and biodiverse university, and is leading as a transformative scholarship university.
- At UIC, you have access to the resources of a major U.S. metropolitan area, including the architectural, engineering, and construction firms that create and maintain one of the most iconic skylines in the world; the offices of dozens of key federal, regional, and state government agencies; and the Discovery Partners Institute research consortium, which positions the University of Illinois system at the center of a research network that also includes the Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and universities in India and Israel.
- It is located near public transportation stops, making the university both accessible for commuters and convenient for students who live on campus.
- Chicago, as America’s third-largest city, also offers you life experiences that you can’t get in most college towns: 77 varied neighborhoods, world-renowned museums, eclectic music and theater, restaurants that attract food enthusiasts from all over the world, and six major-league sports teams.