Kono recognized for his contributions to optical physics, light-condensed matter interactions and photonic applications of nanosystems. His research explores how light interacts with materials at the nanoscale, potentially leading to new technologies in electronics and quantum communication.
Researchers at Rice University have discovered that light can trigger a physical shift in atomic lattice, creating tunable behavior and properties in transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials. This effect could advance technologies using light instead of electricity, such as faster computer chips and ultrasensitive sensors.
A $2 million NSF-funded project is creating microscopic robotic swarms that can move and think collectively like schools of fish. The Adaptive and Responsive Magnetic Swarms (ARMS) project aims to design materials that adapt to their surroundings and can be used for medicine, energy and environmental applications.
A new collaboration between Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine aims to predict kidney injury sooner after heart surgery, potentially reducing hospital stays and mortality. The project uses artificial intelligence to analyze vast amounts of data from thousands of cardiac surgery patients.
Researchers at Rice University have engineered living cells to use a 21st amino acid that illuminates protein changes in real time, providing a new perspective on the inner workings of life. This breakthrough addresses a long-standing challenge in biology by allowing scientists to track subtle protein changes within living systems.
Researchers developed a computational tool to identify genetic vulnerabilities in memory-making brain cells linked to Alzheimer's. The 'seismic' algorithm integrates genetic data with single-cell RNA sequencing, revealing a detailed picture of affected cell types and their genetic programs.
Researchers link Jupiter's birth to the formation of chondrites, a family of stony meteorites that preserve clues about the solar system's origins. The study suggests that Jupiter's rapid early growth created gaps and rings that protected the separation between inner and outer solar system material.
Protein clumps associated with Parkinson's disease can actively break down ATP, draining brain cells of vital energy. Researchers discovered that these clumps transform into molecular machines when they bind to ATP, highlighting a new mechanism of damage.
Rebecca Richards-Kortum has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine for her major contributions to global health. She created low-cost, lifesaving technologies for underserved communities, transforming health systems worldwide through her innovations in cervical cancer diagnostics and neonatal care technologies.
Han Xiao, a pioneer in medicinal chemistry, has been awarded the David W. Robertson Award for his contributions to therapeutic discovery. His research focuses on developing chemical tools to probe and manipulate biological systems, with a focus on cancer therapy.
MetaSeg achieves the same segmentation performance as U-Nets but requires 90% fewer parameters, making medical image segmentation more cost-effective. The new approach leverages implicit neural representations to quickly adjust to new images and decode accurate labels.
A research team led by Frank Geurts measured quark-gluon plasma temperatures at various stages of its evolution, providing critical insights into a state of matter believed to have existed just microseconds after the big bang. The study revealed two distinct average temperatures depending on the mass range of dielectron pairs, indicati...
Researchers at Rice University developed a new catalyst that reduces iridium needed in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers, maintaining industrial-level performance for over 1,500 hours. The innovation uses just one-sixth as much iridium as conventional systems, addressing a significant economic and supply chain bottleneck.
Geoffroy Hautier, a materials scientist at Rice University, has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society for his groundbreaking research in high-throughput computational materials design and discovery. His work bridges quantum mechanics, computation, and artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of new materials...
Researchers developed a faster and cleaner method using flash Joule heating to extract high-purity lithium from spodumene ore. The technique achieved nearly instantaneous lithium extraction with 97% purity and 94% recovery, outperforming traditional methods.
The Chevron Energy Graduate Fellowships support research advancing low-carbon technologies and reducing emissions, with the 2025-26 cohort addressing pressing energy challenges in fields like storage, carbon capture and resilient infrastructure.
Researchers at Rice University have developed an eco-friendly technology to rapidly capture and destroy toxic PFAS in water, outperforming traditional methods. The new approach uses a layered double hydroxide material that can adsorb PFAS with record-breaking efficiency and be reused multiple times.
Lauren Stadler, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, has been awarded a $100,000 research prize to develop real-time biosensors that can detect pathogens, health biomarkers, and chemicals in wastewater. Her goal is to create a decentralized, continuous monitoring system that enables near-instan...
A new membrane developed by Rice University selectively filters out lithium from brines, achieving high selectivity and using considerably less energy. The membrane's design can be adapted for other valuable minerals like cobalt and nickel, and its durability makes it suitable for large-scale synthesis.
The Rice Laboratory for Emergent Magnetic Materials aims to investigate fundamental interactions of magnetism and its role in next-generation technologies. Researchers will focus on emergent phases of matter, including unconventional superconductivity and quantum magnetism.
Researchers at Rice University discovered that energy transfers faster between molecular sites when starting in an entangled state. This finding has implications for creating more efficient light-harvesting materials and understanding biochemical processes like photosynthesis.
Researchers create nanoscale slots to tune phonon vibrations, enabling ultrastrong coupling and hybrid quantum states in lead halide perovskite. This breakthrough could improve energy flow and performance in optoelectronics.
Icefish reorganized their skulls in ways that unlocked new feeding strategies and ecological opportunities. The team found that during times of climate instability, correlations among bones broke down, freeing key elements to evolve more rapidly.
A new gas-solid separation method promises cleaner and cheaper recycling of critical elements. The technique uses flash Joule heating to extract REEs in seconds without water or acids, achieving over 90% purity and yield for REE recovery.
A new test delivers results in under an hour without specialized lab equipment, enabling 'screen-and-treat' strategies to save countless lives. The portable, battery-operated device is projected to cost less than $8 each, making it ideal for low-resource settings.
A new study aims to develop more fair and transparent AI interview systems using psychological measurement principles. Researchers will examine bias at three levels: predictors, outcomes, and perceptions of job seekers.
A recent study led by Rice University anthropologist Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo challenges the long-held idea that Homo habilis was the first species to rise from being prey to predators. Using AI-powered analysis, his team discovered that early humans were still hunted by carnivores like leopards around 2 million years ago.
Elizabeth Roberto's research uses satellite imagery, historical archives, and AI to map how infrastructure decisions reinforce racial and economic divides. Her study spans 50 US cities and introduces new ways to measure spatial features of neighborhoods affecting access to schools and public resources.
Carrie Masiello, Rice University professor, has been elected an American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fellow for her groundbreaking work on global carbon cycling and climate solutions. Her research has led to the development of new tools to measure physical and chemical properties of the Earth.
Gordon's pioneering work revealed diffuse plate boundaries and true polar wander, advancing fundamental understanding of tectonic plates. He also developed widely used global plate motion models, including NUVEL and MORVEL.
Sylvia Dee, a Rice University climatologist, has been awarded the 2025 Nanne Weber Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union. Dee's research focuses on paleoclimate and climate dynamics, with an emphasis on understanding how natural variability interacts with human-induced climate change.
Rice scientists developed a method to pattern device functions with submicron precision directly into an ultrathin crystal using focused electron beams. The approach created bright blue-light emitting traces that also conduct electricity, potentially enabling compact on-chip wiring and built-in light sources.
The CERCat consortium aims to improve the field of catastrophe modeling by uniting academic rigor with practical expertise, driving real-world solutions that enhance disaster resilience. The consortium is prioritizing projects on multihazard fragility curves, wildfire fragility curves, and AI-powered post-disaster damage assessment.
The project, designed by Juan José Castellón, represents a powerful model of interdisciplinary collaboration between Rice's School of Architecture and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The modular system collects and cleans rainwater through hollow ceramic structural columns and a lightweight canopy membrane.
The Rice WaTER Institute hosted the Water Nexus Conference 2025, bringing together industry, policy, and research experts to discuss integrated approaches for safe and reliable water systems. Key findings include the need for innovative technologies, capital structuring, and operational efficiency to close the growing funding gap in wa...
Researchers used ultraflexible probes to track neurons in the visual cortex of mice for 15 consecutive days, revealing that millisecond rhythms explain how the brain maintains a stable picture of the world. The findings provide new insights for brain-computer interfaces, sensory prostheses and therapies for neurological disease.
Researchers at Rice University have developed a soft but strong metamaterial that can be controlled remotely to rapidly transform its size and shape. The new material is designed for implantable and ingestible medical devices and addresses critical safety concerns such as gastric ulcers and puncture injuries.
Researchers developed computational tools to analyze ecological data, identifying functionally equivalent species across different ecosystems. These tools use optimal transport distances to compare network structures, allowing for large-scale monitoring of ecosystem health and guiding conservation efforts.
Scientists have identified two dozen types of minerals that reveal a dynamic history of volcanic rocks altered by liquid water on Mars. The findings support multiple episodes of habitability, with three distinct categories of minerals indicating different conditions favorable or unfavorable for life.
A team of researchers at Rice University has developed a faster and cleaner method for recovering aluminum from bauxite residue, or red mud, by using a brief electrical pulse and chlorine gas. The process, called flash Joule heating, selectively vaporizes toxic metals while retaining almost all the aluminum.
Researchers at Rice University have developed a 'molecular magnifying glass' that allows them to visualize subtle environmental changes in proteins, which can indicate the earliest stages of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer. This tool provides real-time monitoring of protein microenvironment changes in living cells.
Scientists at Rice University and NSF NCAR are developing a new climate model that can track water's unique fingerprints, providing insights into the water cycle and its impact on climate systems. The project aims to better understand how much rain falls, where moisture comes from, and how it travels through the atmosphere and oceans.
Researchers create peptide hydrogel that controls drug release, improving treatment adherence and efficacy for conditions like tuberculosis and diabetes. The SABER platform uses reversible chemical bonds to slow down drug release, offering a promising solution for precise delivery.
Tayfun Tezduyar's space-time computational flow analysis enables accurate modeling of complex systems, from designing parachutes for astronauts to simulating blood flow through heart valves. The approach provides high-fidelity representations in both space and time, allowing for more realistic solutions.
A new study from Rice University introduces a novel solar thermal-boosted organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system that can recover 60-80% more electricity annually from waste heat in data centers. The approach achieves over 8% higher ORC efficiency during sunny peak hours and lowers the cost of electricity by 5.5-16.5%.
Rice University computer scientists have developed algorithms that account for malicious noise in quantum states, which can collapse into a single random outcome. The new framework considers nonphysical and potentially malicious factors, delivering optimal results with sufficiently large copies of a quantum state.
Researchers aim to integrate microbial sensing and communication with electronic networks, enabling computing systems constructed from living cells. The project explores the development of smart biosensors capable of identifying chemical signatures and learning through cellular memory.
A new Rice University study finds hormonal contraceptives shape how women experience emotions in the moment and remember emotional events later. Women on hormonal contraceptives showed stronger emotional reactions and remembered fewer details of negative events when using emotion regulation strategies.
The system uses magnetoelectric power-transfer technology to deliver precise electrical stimulation to organs like the heart and spinal cord. The more devices in the network, the more efficient it is, offering a less invasive alternative to traditional implantable medical devices. This technology has potential for treating conditions s...
Researchers at Rice University developed a mathematical model that sheds light on ovarian aging and menopause timing. The study reveals synchronized and predictable patterns of follicle depletion, accelerating during midlife, which helps explain why menopause typically occurs at similar ages for most women.