Common food bacteria could help make vitamins cheaper, greener
A new study reveals how L. lactis regulates the production of a key precursor in vitamin K₂ biosynthesis.
Rice bioscientist wins NSF CAREER Award to investigate bacterial toxins, expand inclusion in STEM
Marcos de Moraes, assistant professor of biosciences at Rice, has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program.
A smarter membrane for cleaner water
A team of researchers led by Menachem Elimelech and his former postdoctoral researcher Yanghua Duan at Rice has taken a major step toward solving one of water purification’s biggest puzzles: how to best design catalytic membranes that simultaneously filter and transform contaminants in a single step.
OwlSpark showcases ventures tackling health care, fitness, job search and more
Startup founders from Rice and the University of Houston came together for the 12th annual Bayou Startup Showcase July 31 at the Ion, Houston’s innovation hub powered by Rice. For more than a decade, this joint demo day for Rice and UH entrepreneurs has celebrated Houston innovation.
Superconductivity’s halo: Rice theoretical physicist helps map rare high-field phase
Rice's Andriy Nevidomskyy is part of a team that has mapped and explained a puzzling form of superconductivity that arises only under strong magnetic fields.
‘Major leap in bioelectronic sensing’: Rice researchers turn bacteria into tiny pollution detectors
A study led by Xu Zhang, Marimikel Charrier and Caroline Ajo-Franklin demonstrates an innovative method for the real-time, on-site detection of arsenite and cadmium.
Bats, poaching and the pulse of the forest: Rice researchers lead biodiversity study in Tanzania
Deep in the heart of Tanzania’s Udzungwa Mountains, a trio of Rice researchers embarked on an ambitious summer field study to understand how human impacts are reshaping forest ecosystems.
Faculty, staff now have access to AI tools Google Gemini and NotebookLM
Responsible AI is foundational to achieving the strategic goals and vision set forth in Momentous, Rice’s 10-year strategic plan. To further empower the campus to maximize the use of AI for premier teaching, research and operations, the university has expanded access to a broader set of tools.
Rice rises 26 spots in ranking of top 100 US universities for utility patents
Rice is now ranked 68th on the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2024, a list published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) — a leap of 26 spots from last year’s list. Rice ranked 94th in 2023 with 14 granted patents; this year, Rice brought in 30 new patents, leading to its sharp increase in ranking.
Rice SSPEED Center’s FIRST system provides critical flood warnings in real time
In the aftermath of the devastating July 2025 floods in the Texas Hill Country, the need for reliable, real-time flood warning systems has never been more urgent.
The RISING Center at Rice, a partnership accelerating U.S.-India collaboration in advanced materials and defense-related technologies, held a one-year review meeting on campus last month.
Rice scientists discover way to engineer stronger soft devices through smarter silicone bonding
In a step forward for soft robotics and biomedical devices, Rice engineers have uncovered a powerful new way to boost the strength and durability of silicone-based soft devices without changing the materials themselves.
No hype, just breakthroughs: Rice AI summit quietly makes waves in Paris
Some of the world’s top minds in machine learning, optimization and distributed systems gathered this summer in the heart of Paris.
Rice experts available to discuss new round of tariffs
Experts from Rice are available to provide insights on the new round of tariffs from the Trump administration.
Artificial intelligence is infamous for its resource-heavy training, but a new study may have found a solution in a novel communications system that markedly improves the way large language models train.