Openings

We are building a dynamic, interdisciplinary team at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy (Top 10 in the US by Research - total research funding ranked #8 in 2024-2025). We are actively seeking highly motivated students who are passionate about advancing drug, gene, and cell delivery through molecular pharmaceutics and immunoengineering.

PhD Students

We invite applications from talented graduate students through the following programs:

Application Deadline for Fall 2026: December 1, 2025

Our research group is especially interested in trainees who want to work on:

  • RNA delivery using lipid nanoparticles (RNA-LNPs) for immunoengineering

Ideal candidates will have a strong academic background in one or more of the following, which are highly welcomed:
Bioengineering, molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry, molecular pharmaceutics, pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, medicinal chemistry, biological chemistry, chemical biology, or organic chemistry.

For more details and discussion, prospective students should email a copy of their CV, transcript, and a cover letter to Dr Mei via email.

P-SURF & joint PharmD/PhD Program (Mol. Pharmaceutics)

P1 PharmD students interested in obtaining research experiences via the P-SURF program (P1 summer) and potentially working towards PharmD/PhD (at the end of P3 year) are welcome to reach out to discuss potential projects.

New Opportunity – STAR T32 Training Program

Dr. Kuo-Ching “KC” Mei is an affiliated mentor for postdoctoral fellows and a co-mentor for PhD students in the UTAH CTSI STAR T32 Training Program. This NIH-funded program provides structured interdisciplinary training, professional development, and access to world-class resources at the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute. Prospective postdocs and PhD trainees interested in translational research at the interface of molecular pharmaceutics, RNA/gene delivery, and immunoengineering are encouraged to apply and contact Dr. Mei for details.