Director of the Betty and Jacob Friedman Holistic Garden and Lecturer in BioSciences

The Opportunity: Rice University invites applications and nominations for the position of Director of the Betty and Jacob Friedman Holistic Garden and Lecturer in BioSciences located in Houston, Texas, with an anticipated start date of January 1, 2027. We are seeking an entrepreneurial, operationally minded leader to direct the daily site operations, educational program, strategic vision, and community integration of this dynamic academic urban farm. This role requires a dynamic "academic entrepreneur" who possesses advanced horticultural knowledge, physical site management capabilities, charismatic teaching skills, and collaborative, start-up-style business acumen. Operating at the intersection of practical horticulture, academic instruction, and interdisciplinary outreach, the Director will manage daily urban farm activities, budget allocation, organic crop production, and site infrastructure—including a greenhouse, solar array, rainwater collection, apiary, and composting systems. They will lead and mentor a team comprising a full-time Post-Graduate Fellow/Manager and student workers. As Lecturer in BioSciences, the Director will design and deliver popular undergraduate coursework in horticulture, sustainable agriculture, and related practitioner fields each semester. Crucially, the Director will establish a strategic vision for generating revenue through produce sales, public workshops, and plant sales, while expanding volunteer initiatives, alumni and donor engagement, and community food system outreach. Beyond campus, the Director will serve as a strategic bridgebuilder—forging high-impact research, clinical health, and public partnerships across Rice University and the neighboring Texas Medical Center in areas such as garden therapy, public health, and patient wellness.