News Releases

Rice scholar available to discuss selection of next pope

As the Vatican prepares to choose the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Rice University sociologist Craig Considine is available to provide analysis and commentary on the conclave to select the next pope, the critical issues facing the Catholic church and the potential direction the next Pope may take on a number of issues.

Biologist Scott Solomon named Piper Professor for excellence in teaching

Scott Solomon, a biologist, science communicator and teaching professor in the Department of Biosciences, has been named a 2025 Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation.

Matthew Tyler receives NSF CAREER award to improve reliability of survey-based research

Matthew Tyler, an assistant professor of political science at Rice, receives NSF CAREER award.

Electricity-generating bacteria may power future innovations

A team led by Rice's Caroline Ajo-Franklin has discovered how certain bacteria breathe by generating electricity.

New national survey reveals what American consumers truly value across 18 key industries

The 2025 Customer Value Report, authored by marketing researchers at Rice and the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School, evaluates 18 sectors representing the full spectrum of American consumer life — from banking, education and health care to streaming services and law enforcement.

National Academy of Sciences elects Lydia Kavraki as a member

Lydia Kavraki, a leading researcher in robotics, computational biomedicine and artificial intelligence at Rice, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world’s foremost professional societies dedicated to honoring achievement in science and outstanding original research.

Rice engineer awarded NSF CAREER Award to advance decentralized learning for next-generation computing systems

Rice’s César A. Uribe has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to advance the mathematical foundations of decentralized learning, a critical area for the future of artificial intelligence, data science and distributed systems.

Extreme price variation at Houston hospitals continues, expert says

Houston hospitals show significant pricing differences in their procedures, according to a new brief from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The research revisits the websites of the four largest Texas Medical Center (TMC) hospitals to assess whether they have followed federal hospital price transparency laws. The analysis focuses on the listed prices from Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center, Houston Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann-TMC.

A new shape for energy storage: Cone and disc carbon structures offer new pathways for sodium-ion batteries

A new study led by researchers from the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice has introduced an innovative solution that could impact electrochemical energy storage technologies.

Rice professor Menachem Elimelech receives Sidney Loeb Award for groundbreaking work in water purification

Menachem Elimelech was honored with the Sidney Loeb Award at the European Desalination Society Conference held in Porto, Portugal, April 28.

Light-based data made clearer with new machine learning method

Rice researchers have developed a new machine learning algorithm that excels at interpreting optical spectra, potentially enabling faster and more precise medical diagnoses and sample analysis.

Journey Towards Justice: Rice students walk the path of civil rights history

A cohort of Rice University undergraduates boarded a bus bound for Alabama — not for vacation, but for a deeper understanding of America’s legacy of racial justice.

Houston’s hidden financial divide: Thousands remain unbanked and unprepared for retirement

A report from Rice’s Kinder Institute highlights critical gaps in banking access, retirement savings and financial literacy.

Karen Lozano, Eduardo Salas elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Rice professors Karen Lozano and Eduardo Salas have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest and most prestigious learned societies in the nation.

African Development Forum sparks fresh thinking on sustainable growth in Africa

More than 200 students, scholars and development professionals gathered at Rice for the 2025 African Development Forum.