‘Rice University Establishes Five Research Centers to Address Worldwide Issues’

Rice University Announces Major Investments in Five Research Centers

Rice University has recently allocated significant resources to establish five research centers aimed at tackling critical global issues. These centers will address a range of challenges, including coastal safety and resilience, advancements in cancer diagnosis and treatment, issues impacting Latin American and Latinx communities, and other pressing global concerns.

The Rice Center for Nanoscale Imaging Sciences and Synthesis X Center will collaborate with the Texas Medical Center to drive progress in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. These interdisciplinary centers will engage with issues of global importance, particularly relevant to the city of Houston.

Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice’s executive vice president for research, expressed enthusiasm for the impact these centers will have on the public good. Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, pointed out the unique research strengths across various disciplines at Rice University.

The newly established research centers include the Center for Coastal Futures and Adaptive Resilience, which will focus on social and environmental challenges specific to the Gulf Coast region. The Center for Environmental Studies will utilize expertise from arts, humanities, architecture, and design to address environmental issues. Additionally, the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies will foster collaborations with academic institutions in Latin America and the United States, with a special focus on the Gulf Coast region and the U.S. South.

The Rice Center for Nanoscale Imaging Sciences will bring together experts in nanoscale optical imaging, electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and computer vision. The Synthesis X Center will work towards developing innovative cancer drugs and technologies by leveraging advancements in molecular and material synthesis.

The leadership of these research centers will be in the hands of distinguished faculty members, including Dominic Boyer and James Elliott for the Center for Coastal Futures and Adaptive Resilience, Joseph Campana for the Center for Environmental Studies, Sophie Esch for the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies, Anna-Karin Gustavsson for the Rice Center for Nanoscale Imaging Sciences, and Han Xiao for the Synthesis X Center.

These investments underscore Rice University’s commitment to addressing complex global challenges through interdisciplinary research and collaboration.