Kono awarded American Physical Society’s Isakson Prize
Rice applied physicist Junichiro Kono has been awarded the American Physical Society’s 2026 Frank Isakson Prize for Optical Effects in Solids.
Rice is partnering with researchers at the University of Washington, Columbia University and Louisiana State University on a $2 million award from the National Science Foundation to revolutionize how materials and microrobots can be designed, controlled and applied in real-world environments.
Study shows light can reshape atom-thin semiconductors for next-generation optical devices
Rice researchers studying a class of atom-thin semiconductors known as transition metal dichalcogenides have discovered that light can trigger a physical shift in their atomic lattice, creating a tunable way to adjust the materials’ behavior and properties.
Innovation for Healthcare Access Conference inspires new partnerships for sustainable change
At the 2025 Innovation for Healthcare Access Conference, held Oct. 27-28 at Rice, leaders from academia, medicine, public health and policy converged to tackle one of the most urgent challenges in health care: how to ensure that innovations not only reach the communities that need them most but also endure long after the pilot projects end.
Rice mechanical engineers turning everyday fabrics into new channel of communication
When Rice doctoral candidate Barclay Jumet first launched a high school business designing, making and selling bow ties — learning to sew on his mother’s college sewing machine — he never imagined that same skill set would one day help him reinvent how people communicate.
AI-powered alerts may cut kidney complications after heart surgery
A new collaboration between Rice and Baylor College of Medicine is using artificial intelligence to alert clinicians to early signs of kidney trouble giving them critical time to intervene before lasting damage occurs.
Rice launches Brain Institute to accelerate discoveries in brain science and health
Rice has announced the creation of the Rice Brain Institute, an ambitious, interdisciplinary hub that unites faculty members across campus, including engineering, natural sciences and social sciences, to tackle one of humanity’s most complex and promising frontiers: the brain.
Innovation to impact: Richards-Kortum previews Rice360’s Innovation for Healthcare Access Conference
Ahead of the Innovation for Healthcare Access Conference hosted by Rice360, Rebecca Richards-Kortum shares insights on advancing equitable health care solutions across Texas and the United States.
From Rice to the Navy’s nuclear ranks: Senior earns rare engineering commission
Rice University’s Midshipman 1st Class Matthew Deverell, a mechanical engineering major and Will Rice College senior, has been selected by the U.S. Navy for one of only eight nuclear engineering officer positions available nationwide each year.
Algorithm maps genetic connection between Alzheimer’s and specific neurons
Rice researchers and collaborators developed a computational tool that can help identify which specific types of cells in the body are genetically linked to complex human traits and diseases, including in forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Collaboration without borders: Rice-PSL fund opens doors for faculty across campus
The PSL Global Seed Fund operates less like a grant program and more like a catalyst sparking collaborations that bridge disciplines and extend Rice’s reach across continents.
Richards-Kortum elected to the National Academy of Medicine
Rice's Rebecca Richards-Kortum has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the nation’s highest honors in health and medicine. She is one of two Rice faculty who are the only Texas researchers to share membership across the national academies of medicine, science and engineering — an honor held by fewer than 35 researchers nationwide.
Digital Health Institute summit showcases Rice-Houston Methodist partnership in AI-driven medicine
The Digital Health Institute, a joint initiative of Rice University and Houston Methodist, held its inaugural summit Oct. 8 at Rice.
Rice, Houston Methodist developing soft ‘sleep cap’ to advance dementia prevention research
Rice researchers are working with physician scientists at Houston Methodist to develop a soft, wearable “sleep cap” designed to measure and improve deep sleep, a process critical for protecting the brain against dementia and related diseases.
Exploring links between AI and the brain as Texas weighs Proposition 14
LLMs and the Brain, a symposium featuring researchers from Rice, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Montreal and other institutions explored the intersection between neuroscience and AI. The conversation around brain research extends beyond the university and is unfolding at the state level. On Nov. 4, Texas voters will decide on Proposition 14, which would fund the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) with $3 billion over 10 years, creating the largest state-funded dementia research program in the country.