Research & Innovation at Rice

Research & Innovation at Rice

In the 111 years since our doors opened, and well before President John F. Kennedy Jr. delivered his “we choose to go to the moon” speech at our very own Rice Stadium in 1962, Rice University has worked to elevate our research and innovation to the highest levels of human knowledge and ingenuity. Today, we are leveraging our world-class, Nobel Prize-winning research community; dynamic interdisciplinary institutes; and partnerships with leading public and private organizations to activate our research and innovation, create breakthrough solutions, and make vital contributions to human well-being.

“Our newest initiatives will ensure that our faculty and students have the skills, partnerships, tools and support to create technologies that can transform our city and the world.”
— Reginald DesRoches, President

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RESEARCH

As of 2023, three Nobel Prize laureates hail from Rice, and our world-renowned faculty members hold 47 prestigious academy memberships: 29 in the National Academies of Engineering, Science and Medicine and 18 in the American Academy of Arts and Science. They have also won 270 NSF CAREER awards in science and engineering. With their guidance, Rice’s research has unlimited potential to benefit our world.

“We seek the highest levels of excellence in our research and creative endeavors, because we know the incredible power of knowledge, inspiration and discovery.”
— Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Executive Vice President for Research

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INNOVATION

At Rice, we believe that innovative and visionary ideas deserve to be empowered so that they can reach the real world and make a lasting impact. In order to thrive, even groundbreaking ideas need community and collaboration, resources and tools, nurturing and knowledge. With significant support provided to more than a dozen startups just this year alone, Rice is shaping a future where innovation knows no bounds.

“Rice Innovation means turning groundbreaking discoveries into market-ready technologies with speed and scale to shape the future for the betterment of the world.” 
— Paul Cherukuri, Chief Innovation Officer and Vice President for Innovation

Rice Biotech
Launch Pad

Rice’s researchers are developing innovative solutions to some of the most intractable problems in modern medicine. With our new Biotech Launch Pad, we are now on a mission to ensure that their work reaches those who need it most. We aim to rechart the journey from medical discovery to lifesaving cure — and in record time.

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Rice’s Biotech Launch Pad will accelerate turning medical and health discoveries into cures.

Woodside-Rice Accelerator

Our generation must change the way we make, use and store energy. That’s why Rice and Woodside Energy have teamed up in a groundbreaking collaboration aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a dramatically accelerated pace. The project will bring lower-carbon technology solutions from Rice’s labs to the market at scale within just five years. 

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Rice REINVENTS device makes hydrogen from sunlight with record efficiency.

Our new initiatives derive from our three strategic research areas:

Thriving urban communities

Sustainable futures

Innovations in health

RICE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN THE NEWS

ENERGY AND CLIMATE
Rice engineers and scientists create energy and sustainability solutions for the future while forging strategic partnerships to help discoveries transition from the lab to the world
LIFE SCIENCE AND HEALTH
We redraw the limits of possibility in medical practice through research on both the minute complexities of embodied processes and the social and environmental coordinates of health.
EQUITABLE SOCIETIES
At Rice, we know that the best way to a brighter future is to build it. Through data, research, engagement and action, we work to build social harmony and prosperity for all humankind.
INFORMATION SCIENCES
Rice expands computing frontiers through quantum research, digital innovation and technological breakthroughs. We envision a world where innovation empowers humanity to reach new heights.
At Rice University, we strive for excellence in everything we do. We are on an inspired pursuit of the unknown, working together to achieve the unachievable.