Starting the week with a little Rice magic 🌈✨ #LovettHall #RiceUniversity Photo credit Deirdre Hunter, Assistant Teaching Professor

🆕 "Quad Talk: Rice Grad Life" is here! In Episode 1, Sarah (Env. Engineering) and Kayla (Neuroengineering) dive into what makes Rice a special place for grad students, from research challenges to Rice Loop runs. 🎓🏃‍♀️ 📺 youtu.be/n7sdpDh-gPQ #RiceUniversity #GradSchool #STEM

🚀 A Rice grad student just turned cutting-edge research into a real startup success. Alex Lathem founded Pattern Materials to commercialize graphene tech developed in the James Tour lab — and walked away with $134K at the Rice Business Plan Competition. news.rice.edu/news/2025/pa... #research

Grad school’s better in blue 💙 Celebrate #RiceBlueFriday with the brilliant minds shaping the future; one thesis, one lab, one late-night coffee at a time. Owl together! 🦉 #RiceGradLife #RiceUniversity

Congrats @quisebell.bsky.social on your Ph.D. thesis defense!

You had us at the tree-lined walkways, the quiet arches, the way the sunlight hits Lovett Hall just right. 💌✨ Come fall in love too. Full campus tour hosted by our Graduate Ambassadors is now on YouTube. youtu.be/S7lMpJjnZ5g?...! #RiceUniversity #GradSchool #CampusTour

Incoming Owl Alert! 🦉 Meet Arantxa Galván, an incoming Ph.D. student whose journey to Rice was sealed after attending the Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium. Her motto: "Let this achievement be proof that your origin does not define your future. When you dare to dream, it becomes real."

Happy Independence Day from the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies! Whether you’re enjoying the sunshine, fireworks, or a well-earned break—have a safe and joyful holiday! #RiceGradLife #4thofJuly #RiceUniversity #RiceOwls

Graduate student Kayla Clark (@ricesocsci.bsky.social) is uncovering how emotional responses to music after learning affect what we remember. Kayla’s new study—published in The Journal of Neuroscience—shows that emotional arousal during quiet periods or music listening can shift how we recall info!

🏓 Nothing like some friendly competition and summer vibes in the Grad Bubble! The Kono Cup: Summer Edition brought together students, faculty, and staff from the Applied Physics Graduate Program for an evening of table tennis, snacks, and community 🎉

Ever seen a robot controlled by light? Meet the future of soft robotics, thanks to the incredible work of Rice alumna, Elizabeth Blackert ‘24 (Ph.D.). We're so proud of our #RiceAlumni like Dr. Blackert who are leading the charge in creating a smarter future. news.rice.edu/news/2025/re...

What better place to perfect the art, craft and language of opera than Italy! The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University’s master's students spent three weeks in Florence studying Italian, performing for international audiences and exploring cultural landmarks. news.rice.edu/news/2025/la...

📣 This week’s Instagram Takeover is hosted by Manuel Carmona Pichardo 🇲🇽, a Ph.D. student in Chemistry at Rice! From Mexico to Germany to TX, Manuel’s journey spans continents—and it’s filled with research breakthroughs, board games, great coffee, and a deep commitment to building community. ☕🧪🎲

🏳️‍🌈 Celebrate Pride at Rice! 🎉 Join the QGSA Pride Picnic: 🗓️ Friday, June 27, before Houston Pride Parade on Saturday 🕔 5–9 PM @ Grad Commons near Valhalla Then register to march in the Houston Pride Parade → rice.edu/pride #RicePride #QGSA #OwlsForAll #LGBTQatRice

The first day of summer looks a little different this year! ✨ Breaking in the new quad with some fresh sunshine.

How do you design a better space suit? Just ask Rice Ph.D. candidate Marquise Bell! His NASA-funded research on soft wearable materials is out of this world. 🚀 Inspired by his mentors, he's now empowering others. #PhDLife #SpaceTech #MentorshipMatters Read his story: giving.rice.edu/gift-mentors...

🧬 What makes a cell decide to become a brain, a heart, or a muscle? Meet Luisa Rezende, a Ph.D. student at Rice, who’s exploring how embryonic stem cells choose their fate. From cell-based sequencing to genetic circuit modeling, her research could unlock new frontiers in regenerative medicine.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Grad Bubble! 💙🎓 We had a great time sharing resources, meeting new faces, and celebrating our amazing grad student and postdoc community. Big thanks to all the campus partners who helped make it happen — and to you for making it special! #RiceGradLife

Did you know the Rice campus is an arboretum? The Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum is a teaching and research resource. The Arboretum consists of a collection of woody plants and garden spaces dispersed throughout the campus that represent native and cultivated species suitable to the climate of Houston!

A team of researchers led by Rice materials scientists has succeeded in creating a genuine 2D hybrid by chemically integrating two fundamentally different 2D materials ⎯ graphene and silica glass ⎯ into a single, stable compound called glaphene. Read more news.rice.edu/news/2025/ri...

Rice has officially broken ground on the Moody Center Complex for Student Life — a 75,000 square-foot facility that will anchor a newly envisioned student hub at the heart of campus. This is more than a building. It’s a statement: Grad students belong at the center of Rice life. 💼☕📚#RiceGradLife

Rice ECE PhD alumnus Zhiyuan Wang is making headlines in WIRED for helping theorize a new class of quantum particles — paraparticles. 🌌🧊 🔗 Read the WIRED feature: www.wired.com/story/parapa... 🔬 Learn more about graduate research at Rice: graduate.rice.edu #RiceGradAlumni #QuantumPhysics #RiceECE

Yuxiang Gao, a doctoral student at Rice, worked with a research team led by physicists Ming Yi and Emilia Morosan to develop a new material with unique electronic properties that could enable more powerful and energy-efficient electronic devices. Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/ri...

Water you waiting for? Rice grad students Aleida Machorro-Ortiz & William Schmid created STREED, a solar-powered desalination system that could transform fresh water access in off-grid and high-salinity areas worldwide. 🔗 news.rice.edu/news/2025/ri...

Rice is fighting the “forever” in forever chemicals! Ph.D. student Sarah Glass is dismantling PFAS with a catalytic treatment train—turning toxic pollutants into harmless by-products. A breakthrough that could revolutionize water treatment. Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/ne...

Ready for a shock? Ph.D. student Biki Bapi Kundu discovered how bacteria generate electricity through extracellular respiration, using naphthoquinones to survive without oxygen. This could improve wastewater treatment and biomanufacturing. Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/el...

Tears of joy? Just a few. Last week, Rice celebrated the incredible achievements of more than 750 graduates at the advanced degree commencement ceremony. Missed it? You can watch the full celebration here: news.rice.edu/news/2025/ow...

🌍 Fulbright scholars are making their mark at Rice! With nearly 100 graduate students from 30 countries, the Fulbright Program brings global perspectives to campus and fosters rich academic and cultural exchange. Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/fu...

Ziyang Wang, a Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering in the Huang Lab, helped develop a new machine learning tool that reads “light signatures” from molecules — paving the way for faster, more accurate disease detection and material analysis. Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/li...

Two Rice Owls, two Pulitzers! Sociology Ph.D. student Leah Binkovitz and alumna Daisy Chung ’14 have earned journalism’s highest honor for their powerful contributions to public service and international reporting. Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/2-...

We couldn’t brie more proud! 🧀🦆 Cheese and Quackers is an annual event hosted by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to celebrate students who’ve successfully defended their theses. With this final milestone, they officially have their “ducks in a row!" Congrats graduates!

Cheers to the Class of 2025! It’s been a hoot celebrating our grads—congrats to all!

Rice Ph.D. alum Fuyang Tay helped create a 3D photonic-crystal cavity that controls how light and matter interact—paving the way for next-gen quantum circuits and sensors. 🔗 Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/ri...

Graduation is right around the corner, and we’re excited to highlight Dr. Esther Jimenez. Her research in synthetic biology is creating sustainable alternatives to plastics. After graduation, she’ll join Fletcher Yoder as a scientific advisor. Check out her story: news.rice.edu/news/2025/se...

Got your ducks in a row? 🦆 Join us at Cheese and Quackers on May 9 at 11:30 a.m. to celebrate our students who successfully defended their theses this semester!

Rice and the Texas Medical Center (TMC) team up in all kinds of ways! One big highlight: the Health Innovations in the Rice-TMC Ecosystem—a two-day research symposium with talks from Rice faculty, TMC doctors, and student researchers. Swipe through for a peek at the action!

Considering grad school? Take a look at GradSense! This site helps you plan financially for grad school, whether you’re already enrolled or just exploring your options. Check it out here: gradsense.org

We’re excited to spotlight Thiago Pinheiro dos Santos, a Ph.D. grad in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Brazil. After graduation, he’ll join Oak Ridge National Lab as a postdoc, working on nuclear fuel recycling, desalination, and carbon capture. Read more:

Impossible? Not at Rice. Ph.D. student Dasom Kim (Kono Lab) has observed the superradiant phase transition (SRPT) — a quantum phenomenon once thought impossible — by using spin interactions instead of light. Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/sc...

It turns out that some things can come back stronger! 💥 Rice grad student Mason Klemm in the Dai Lab revived a fading electronic pattern in FeGe using heat—boosting performance 10x. The secret? Tiny atomic defects. A step toward custom, next-gen materials. Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/re...

Where are our Owls headed after graduation? For MSNE graduate Dr. Tia Gray—who began her Rice journey in 2017—it’s off to the Naval Research Lab, where she’ll continue her research on diamond and wideband gap materials through a postdoctoral fellowship. 🔗 Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/gr...

If you're planning on graduating and having your degree conferred in May, please make sure you complete your thesis submission by Friday, April 25th by noon (Houston, TX time!) Get your ducks in a row! 🐥

Does anything truly last forever? Dr. Phelecia Scotland developed a method to remove and destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), preventing these "forever chemicals" from sticking around. Learn more about this groundbreaking method: news.rice.edu/news/2025/ri...

What do you get when you combine a bike with beer (an option for those over 21)? Beer Bike! Every spring, undergraduates, graduate students and alumni come together to compete in this cherished Rice tradition, which dates back to 1957. Check out some photos from this year's event!

Dr. Marc-Ansy Laguerre, a postdoctoral associate in civil/environmental engineering, is committed to reducing earthquake damage in Haiti. Working alongside President Reginald DesRoches, his recently published research focuses on affordable ways to reinforce buildings to resist future earthquakes!

Rice University continues to stand out for its academic excellence, with several graduate programs earning high marks in the latest edition of @USNEWS 'Best Graduate Schools' rankings! Check out the latest here:

The Houston Rodeo has come to an end, but we can’t help but look back on the excitement! For our first-year Fulbright students, it was indeed their "first rodeo" a time to find the perfect hat, enjoy some barbecue, and take it all in. Check out their adventure: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMvN...

Rice's Graduate Office transformed the movie "Night at the Museum" into a real-life experience at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. This event brings together over 16 departments and nearly 700 staff, faculty, and students. Read more: news.rice.edu/news/2025/ni...

Rice students, staff, and faculty took part in Fast-A-Thon, a one-day fasting challenge hosted by the Graduate Muslim Student Association. Participants ended the day by breaking their fast together at sunset. Check out some photos from the event!

On Pi(e) Day—a fun twist on the number Pi—students had the opportunity to meet our student support manager, Pia Byrd, while enjoying pies! Graduate students with concerns are always welcome to meet with Pia for support. You can view Pia's office hours here: graduate.rice.edu/people/stude...