News Releases

Rice moves up more than 20 spots in QS World University Rankings

Rice has advanced 22 spots in the 2026 edition of the QS World University Rankings, climbing to No. 119 globally and No. 29 among U.S. universities.

Computational biochemist joins Rice with CPRIT recruitment award

Computational biochemist Linna An will join Rice’s Department of Biosciences with support from a $2 million award from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Rice University’s OpenStax partners with Microsoft for AI-enhanced learning

OpenStax, a provider of affordable instructional technologies and the world’s largest publisher of open educational resources, has partnered with Microsoft to integrate its trusted content into Microsoft’s latest learning innovation, Microsoft Learning Zone. Available on Microsoft Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft Learning Zone aims to provide educators and students with responsible AI technology and peer-reviewed educational content to support learning.

Music, memory and the power of emotion: Rice study reveals how music influences what we remember

Rice graduate student and adjunct assistant professor explores how music can help shape new memories.

‘No one had done this before’: Art, science and the surprising versatility of boron nitride nanotubes

In an elegant fusion of art and science, researchers at Rice have achieved a major milestone in nanomaterials engineering by uncovering how boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) — touted for their strength, thermal stability and insulating properties — can be coaxed into forming ordered liquid crystalline phases in water.

Rice recruits biophysicist to boost cancer research efforts

Rice’s Department of Chemistry will soon welcome Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede.

Rice welcomes 3 new members to board of trustees

Rice University has appointed three distinguished alumni to its board of trustees.

Near-perfect defects in 2D material could serve as quantum bits

Researchers at Rice and collaborators at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Technology, Sydney report the first demonstration of low noise, room-temperature quantum emitters in h-BN made through a scalable growth technique.

Physicists confirm elusive quantum spin liquid in new study

An international team of scientists led by Rice's Pengcheng Dai has confirmed the existence of emergent photons and fractionalized spin excitations in a rare quantum spin liquid.

Rice scientists harness vacuum fluctuations to engineer quantum materials

Rice researchers and collaborators have developed a new cavity design that selectively enhances the quantum vacuum fluctuations of circularly polarized light in a single direction, achieving chirality — a feat that typically requires the use of a strong magnetic field.

2025 Kinder State of Housing report finds rising vulnerability and shrinking affordability

The newly released 2025 State of Housing report from Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, shows rising home prices, surging insurance premiums and growing climate risks are reshaping how and where residents can afford to live.

DUNE-TECH boot camp at Rice ignites next generation of America’s neutrino scientists

In a milestone moment for science education and collaboration, Rice hosted its first DUNE-TECH (DUNE Training ExperienCe Hub) camp this June, drawing students, researchers and scientists from across the country into the world of neutrino physics and computing.

Lilie Summer Venture Studio accelerator returns with 8 new student ventures 

The Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie) at Rice has unveiled the eight high-potential ventures selected for the third annual Lilie Summer Venture Studio accelerator program. Summer Venture Studio is Rice’s accelerator for high growth, high ambition founders, offering a deep dive into venture building and equipping student-led teams with the funding, mentorship and resources needed to bring their bold ideas to life.

Rice chemists leap across terpenoid landscapes with enzyme-enabled scaffold hopping

A research team led by Rice has introduced an innovative strategy that uses converted enzymes to streamline synthetic pathways.

New Natural Disaster Resilience dashboard shows need for infrastructure policy, Rice Baker Institute expert says

The Natural Disaster Resilience dashboard from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy compares combinations of demographics and disasters to show impacts over time and provides evidence that policy and regulation need to prioritize infrastructure resilience.