Rice Engineering and Computing

Rice Engineering and Computing is launching a new Master of Artificial Intelligence (MAI) program in the fall of 2027.

Offered by Rice University Computer Science, the MAI program is designed for working professionals and recent computer science graduates. This program will provide specialized depth in AI architectures, training and deployment for engineers who want to build and deploy AI systems.

In an increasingly AI-driven world, we're preparing professionals to shape the future of AI systems: with technical depth and practical experience to build these systems responsibly.

Apply now to join the fall 2027 inaugural class and learn from faculty doing cutting-edge AI research.
https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/rice-launch-master-artificial-intelligence-program-fall-2027

A moonshot-in-the-making for human health, and it started at Rice University.

The International Society for Engineering Health (ISEH) held its inaugural summit Sept. 10-11 at Rice, bringing together experts in medicine, engineering, science, industry, government, philanthropy and patient advocacy.

The goal? Eliminating targeted diseases from the human experience.

Sessions examined stroke, pancreatic cancer, schizophrenia, monogenic disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and sepsis, while participants also discussed emerging technologies and the process for establishing ISEH’s initial research priorities.

Rice University Bioengineering's Gang Bao co-organized the summit. Rice was honored to be the academic host and lead sponsor of this National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine member-led event. https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/new-international-society-takes-aim-eliminating-major-diseases-rice-summit

🤖 Fabric of the future: where the fabric itself becomes a robot.

Rice mechanical engineer Vanessa Sanchez is working to make that future a reality.

Sanchez has received the Toyota Programmable System Innovation Fellowship to explore how sensing, movement and mechanical behavior can be programmed directly into knitted structures.

This research is a perfect example of how Rice engineers are solving for greater good: it could lead to real fabric-based products that benefit humanity, from assistive wearable devices to soft safety structures such as car seats.

Congratulations to Professor Sanchez on this fellowship. https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/rices-sanchez-exploring-future-where-fabric-itself-becomes-robot

A new approach could offer a new way to spot pancreatic cancer signals.

Research led by Kshipra Kapoor, Rice electrical and computer engineering doctoral alumna, shows that an electrical fingerprint found on tiny particles in the blood may help detect signs of pancreatic cancer that are often overlooked.

This innovative approach could provide a new method for studying a cancer that is frequently diagnosed after it has already spread with a five-year survival rate of only 13%. https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/electrical-fingerprint-tiny-cell-particles-could-offer-new-way-spot-pancreatic-cancer

This week, the Rice Ken Kennedy Institute will host the fifth annual AI in Health Conference to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the way researchers approach some of the most complex challenges in health and medicine.

Rice Engineering and Computing faculty will join other leading experts in AI and health for these critical conversations: Farshid Alambeigi, Lydia E. Kavraki, Dean Luay Nakhleh, Todd Treangen, Sangyeon (Fred) Cho and Lauren Stadler. https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/rice-conference-brings-ai-and-health-experts-houston

📸 Reinventing cameras using generative AI.

A Rice team is exploring a smarter approach to imaging: generative cameras, or GenCams. Led by Guha Balakrishnan, along with co-principal investigators Vicente Ordonez, Vivek Boominathan and Chen Wei, the team is combining simple, low-power sensors with generative AI to create cameras that are both more efficient and more capable.

With a three-year, $900,000 NSF grant, the project is exploring how GenCams could transform applications ranging from wildlife monitoring and infrastructure management to disaster response.
https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/rice-project-aims-reinvent-cameras-generative-ai

Rice University has joined a DOE-backed project to use AI to strengthen the nation's critical mineral supply.

A $2.9 million U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E award will fuel a search for materials for next-generation permanent magnets, which are essential for electronics, energy and transportation.

Rice materials scientist Geoffroy Hautier will lead the Rice team, bringing expertise in AI, atomistic modeling and high-throughput computing to identify promising magnetic materials for testing.

The coalition led by the University of Houston includes researchers from Rice, Colorado State University, Carrier Global and Houston startup Newfound Materials. https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/rice-brings-ai-expertise-doe-backed-search-next-generation-magnets

A legendary celebration for a historic milestone.

Last night, we honored two extraordinary members of the Rice community, University Professors Lydia Kavraki and Rebecca Richards-Kortum, for their elections to all three of the National Academies: Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

As the only two scholars in Texas with this distinction, they join fewer than 35 researchers nationwide who are members of all three academies.

Professors Kavraki and Richards-Kortum have different career paths, but they share a common goal: improving humanity through research that matters.

Together, they embody the kind of community we aspire to build at Rice Engineering and Computing. A community that values collaboration, curiosity, mentorship and a commitment to using knowledge in service of something larger than ourselves.

Please join us again in congratulating Lydia Kavraki and Rebecca Richards-Kortum.

A common goal unites these Future Faculty Fellows: making a positive impact on engineering and computing research, teaching and mentorship.

As we begin the new school year, members of the 2026-27 Future Faculty Fellows cohort are embarking on their journey towards tenure track faculty positions. The program kicked off the semester with a workshop on crafting a research statement, led by ACTIVATE Engineering Communication Program.

Congratulations to this cohort of Future Faculty Fellows: Arka Chatterjee, Thai Duong, Weifan Liu, Shalini Pandey, Duygu Vargun, Lei Zhang, Sarah Glass, Rose Graves, Md Abid Shahriar Rahman Saadi, Ria Stevens and Yihua Xu. https://engineering.rice.edu/news/rice-engineering-and-computing-school-announces-2026-27-future-faculty-fellows