President Reginald DesRoches and Provost Amy Dittmar welcomed winners of highly prestigious and prestigious awards to the Brockman Hall for Opera to celebrate Rice faculty excellence. On Oct. 6, Rice honored those faculty who have earned prestigious and highly prestigious awards, defined as such by the Organization of the National Research Council and the Association of American Universities.
“These awards are more than individual recognitions,” DesRoches said. “They represent the extraordinary talent and dedication of our faculty — their brilliance as researchers, their commitment as mentors and their impact as teachers. Each honor strengthens Rice’s reputation as a university defined by excellence, where world-class faculty push the boundaries of knowledge and prepare the next generation of great minds.”
Featuring a performance by a Shepherd School of Music student string trio, award winners from the previous fiscal year, 2024-2025, were brought on stage to accept custom-made commemorative crystal awards to commend achievements such as the National Science Foundation CAREER Awards, American Association for the Advancement of Science Election, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and more.
"The pursuit of knowledge to better understand and advance humanity, society and our world has never been more important,” Dittmar said. “We gathered to celebrate the momentous achievements of our faculty and recognize the enormous impact of their world-class research on infrastructure, medicine, psychology, energy and sustainability, and more in this first-of-its-kind event. We look forward to having even more to celebrate next year."
Prestigious Award Winners
National Science Foundation CAREER Awards
- Sylvia Dee, associate professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences
- Marcos H. De Moraes, assistant professor of biosciences
- Anna-Karin Gustavsson, assistant professor of chemistry
- Lei Li, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering
- Matthew McCary, assistant professor of biosciences
- Elizabeth Roberto, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology
- Matthew Tyler, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science
- César A. Uribe, Louis Owen Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
American Association for the Advancement of Science Election
- Reginald DesRoches, President of Rice University, professor of civil and environmental engineering
- Angel A. Martí, professor of chemistry and bioengineering, materials science and nanoengineering
- Luay Nakhleh, William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineer and Computing, professor of computer science and biosciences
H. Earle Johnson Bequest for Book Publication Subvention
- Danielle Ward-Griffin, assistant professor of musicology
IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal
- Richard G. Baraniuk, C. Sidney Burrus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Association for Asian Studies NEAC Korean Studies Grant
- Sonia Ryang, T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Asian Studies
Highly Prestigious Award Winners
Guggenheim Fellowship
- Dominic Boyer, professor of anthropology
Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry
- Naomi J. Halas, University Professor, Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
American Academy of Arts and Sciences Election
- Karen Lozano, trustee professor of materials science and nanoengineering
- Eduardo Salas, professor of psychological sciences
National Academy of Inventors Election
- Omid Veiseh, professor of bioengineering
National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences
- Peter G. Wolynes, Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Chemistry, professor of biosciences, materials science and nanoengineering, physics and astronomy
National Academy of Sciences Election
- Lydia E. Kavraki, University Professor and Kenneth, Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing, professor of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering and bioengineering
National Academy of Engineering Election
- Lydia E. Kavraki
As the inaugural Highly Prestigious and Prestigious Awards ceremony, the event ended with a commemoration of all the Rice faculty who have won these categories of awards over the decades.
Previous winners include:
