AT RICE ENGINEERING, OWLS DO RESEARCH

Research Opportunities by Department

Do research, gain experience, get credit.

Many research opportunities are available to undergraduate students at Rice University through their department in the School of Engineering. Be sure to check with your professors, advisors, and even your classmates to learn more.

Credit for Research

  • Please note that the credit is listed generically in your transcript.
  • The credit is typically variable (1-6 credits) based on the workload – discuss this with your faculty and remember to update the credit number when you register.
  • Talk to your major advisors to discuss how research credit can be used toward your degree requirements.

To learn more, visit the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry.

Rice Engineering Programs & Centers

Rice Engineering is home to programs and centers that provide undergraduate students valuable research experience put to use in real-world applications:

Center for Computational Finance and Economic Systems (CoFES)

CoFES at Rice University is dedicated to the quantitative study of financial markets and economic systems and their ultimate impact on society.

Data to Knowledge

The Data to Knowledge Lab (D2K) is a hub for data science education. D2K provides students with engagement, enrichment, and experiential learning opportunities by connecting students with current data science challenges from companies, community organizations and researchers.

Gulf Coast Consortia (GCC)

The GCC brings together the strengths of its six member institutions to build interdisciplinary collaborative research teams and training programs in the biological sciences at their intersection with the computational, chemical, mathematical, and physical sciences.

Ken Kennedy Institute

The Ken Kennedy Institute is an interdisciplinary group that works collaboratively on groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence, data, and computing to solve critical global challenges. We enable new conversations that drive convergent research, impact the development of new technology, and advance training and education.

Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering (IBB)

The IBB seeks to promote interdisciplinary research and education, foster ties with the Texas Medical Center, create partnerships with industry, promote the translation of research, and facilitate strong research and training programs.

Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP)

LANP is a resource for research breakthroughs and advances in the broad, multidisciplinary field of Nanophotonics, spanning the physical, chemical, biological and information sciences, of near and long-term societal benefit.

Nanosystems Engineering research center for nanotechnology enabled water treatment (NEWT)

NEWT is an interdisciplinary, multi-institution nanosystems-engineering research center whose goal is to facilitate access to clean water almost anywhere in the world by developing efficient modular water treatment systems that are easy to deploy, and that can tap unconventional sources to provide humanitarian water or emergency response.

Oshman Engineering Design Center

The Oshman Engineering Design Center (OEDK) provides a space for Rice undergraduate students to design, prototype and deploy solutions to real-world engineering challenges.

Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL)

RCEL was established to inspire, educate, and develop, ethical leaders in technology who will excel in research, industry, non-engineering career paths, or entrepreneurship.

Rice360 Institute of Global Health Technologies

Rice360 offers innovative undergraduate programs that engage students to design and implement new technologies to solve real global health challenges.

Rice Neuroengineering Initiative

The Rice Neuroengineering Initiative is a collaborative multidisciplinary program that brings together the brightest minds in neuroscience, engineering, and related fields to improve lives by restoring and extending the capabilities of the human brain.

Rice Space Institute (RSI)

The RSI is working to strengthen our ties with JSC and the broader Houston space community, to foster deeper research collaborations within this community, and facilitate multidisciplinary research to address the most pressing scientific and technological problems facing the exploration of space.

Severe Storm Prediction, Education & Evacuation from Disasters Center (SSPEED)

SSPEED Center's mission is to educate the Gulf Coast region by increasing governmental and public awareness of the risks associated with severe storms and hurricanes. We address both structural and non-structural mitigation strategies at all scales for the region.

Smalley-Curl Institute (SCI)

Research in SCI encompasses advanced materials, quantum magnetism, plasmonics and photonics, biophysics and bioengineering, ultracold atom physics, condensed matter and chemical physics, and all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

The short list above includes multidisciplinary groups and centers with School of Engineering faculty members. For the most up-to-date list of all Rice University centers and groups, please visit: https://www.rice.edu/research-centers-groups

Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Research Experiences for Undergraduates at Rice is programs open to students at colleges and universities from around the world. For most programs, research experience is not required. Rice faculty and graduate students will train participants to perform research and mentor them through the experience! 

Experiences in engineering include:

  • Summer Cardiovascular Research Internship Program
  • Data Science
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Engineering and Medicine
  • Multi-Scale Biomolecular Networks (BioNetworks)
  • Nanotechnology
  • STAT-DATASCI
  • Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment

Opportunities & Deadlines: