Rice Research Review

2021

2021 was another record-setting year for research at Rice. We continued work in several important areas, announced some exciting new projects and forged ahead with our ambitious climate change research initiative, especially in the area of energy transition.

Reginald DesRoches

Welcome back to Rice Research Review, Rice University’s annual online research publication. I invite you to take a moment to learn more about the research that’s being done at Rice and the impact it is making far and wide. View more.

FOCUS

Downtown Houston skyline

Energy Transition: Paving the Way to a Sustainable Future

Rice University's role in positioning Houston as the leading hub of energy and clean tech innovation is key and researchers at the university have been hard at work tackling the many challenges a widespread energy transition presents.

MORE INFORMATION

AT LARGE

IN BRIEF

AI Grid

AI-Powered Microscope

Researchers from Rice University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center created a new microscope that can quickly and inexpensively image large tissue sections, potentially during surgery, to determine whether an entire tumor has been removed. The microscope can rapidly image relatively thick pieces of tissue with cellular resolution, and could allow surgeons to inspect the margins of tumors within minutes of their removal. Learn More 

Insulin Grid

Insulin-Producing Implant

Rice University bioengineers are using 3D printing and smart biomaterials to create an insulin-producing implant for Type 1 diabetics. The three-year project between the laboratories of Omid Veiseh and Jordan Miller will use insulin-producing beta cells made from human stem cells to create an implant that senses and regulates blood glucose levels by responding with the correct amount of insulin at a given time.  Learn More

New Periodic Table

New Periodic Table

One hundred fifty years ago, Dmitri Mendeleev created the periodic table, a system for classifying atoms based on the properties of their nuclei. In 2021, a team of biologists studying the tree of life has unveiled a new classification system for cell nuclei, and discovered a method for transmuting one type of cell nucleus into another. The study, which appeared in the journal Science, emerged from several once-separate efforts involving dozens of institutions including Baylor College of Medicine, the National Science Foundation-supported Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP) at Rice University, the University of Western Australia and SeaWorld. Learn More

BY THE NUMBERS

Rice University is one of the nation’s leading research universities. With just over 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students, Rice produces $181 million in sponsored projects annually. These projects span a broad spectrum of academic areas and work toward solving pressing problems across the globe.

By The Numbers
Awards
Awards
2021 Research Funding
Research Funding
Top Five Federal Awards
Awards
National Academy Memberships
National Academy Membership
Active National Science Foundation Career Awards
Active National Science Foundation Career Awards
National University Rankings
National Universities Ranking

ACCOLADES

Safiya Khalil
Safiya Khalil

Doctoral student in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Safiya Khalil was selected as an affiliate to the Mohammed bin Rashid Academy of Scientists in the United Arab Emirates. Khalil’s research focuses on synthesizing covalent organic frameworks for water treatment and energy storage applications.

Stay tuned for the next edition of Rice Research Review and click here to see the 2020 edition.