Rice University Electrical & Computer Engineering

New international opportunities are taking shape at Rice ECE!

Rice University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has partnered with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taiwan to create a new 3+2 cooperative education program.

Through the program, participating NYCU computer science students can spend their senior year studying at Rice and, upon admission, continue their education through Rice’s Master of Electrical and Computer Engineering program.

The partnership is designed to give students an immersive international academic experience while strengthening connections between Rice and NYCU in engineering, computing and technology.

Learn more about the partnership:
🔗 https://eceweb.rice.edu/news/rice-electrical-and-computer-engineering-and-nycu-partnership-creates-new-pathway

Explore international opportunities at Rice ECE:
🌎 https://eceweb.rice.edu/academics/international-opportunities

How can innovation in digital health expand access, improve outcomes and reach communities at a global scale?

Join Rice University and Houston Methodist for the Houston Methodist Rice Digital Health Institute Fall Symposium 2026 on Oct. 15.

Bringing together leaders across engineering, medicine, public health, policy, health economics and industry, the symposium will explore the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of digital health — from lowering costs and building trust to improving access for underserved populations.

📅 Oct. 15, 2026

⏰ 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

📍 Doré Commons, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

Learn more about the event and register here: https://riceconnect.rice.edu/events/2026/dhi-symposium

Rice Electrical and Computer Engineering is No. 23 in the nation for undergraduate electrical engineering programs in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings — up one spot from last year!

The ranking comes during a strong year for Rice Engineering and Computing, which rose to No. 16 nationally among undergraduate engineering programs.

We’re proud to see Rice ECE continue to be recognized among the nation’s leading engineering programs. Congratulations to our students, faculty, staff and alumni who make our community exceptional!

Building connections before classes even begin.

We are proud to have participated in the 2026 Faculty Fair for the Rice Emerging Scholars Program (RESP), an innovative summer bridge program that helps incoming STEM students build the academic foundation, confidence and community they'll carry throughout their Rice journey.

Professor Robert LiKamWa introduced scholars to the exciting possibilities of electrical and computer engineering through interactive demonstrations from his research, giving students a firsthand look at how engineering can shape the future.

We're also incredibly proud of our own ECE students, Graciela Lara ('27) and Timauri-Lee Carby (B.S. '26), who served as RESP student leaders this summer, helping mentor and support the next generation of Rice engineers.

Thank you to everyone who made this year's program such a success. We can't wait to welcome these future Owls to campus this fall!

Groundbreaking research from Rice University is gaining international recognition in Physics World.

A new feature highlights PrecisionView, an affordable AI-powered handheld endomicroscope developed by researchers at Rice University that has the potential to transform early cancer detection, particularly in low-resource healthcare settings.

We’re proud to see Ashok Veeraraghavan, Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Huaya Hou, Jimin Wu and other collaborators leading innovative work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, computational imaging and healthcare technology — advancing solutions with the potential for real-world global impact.

Congratulations to the research team for pushing the boundaries of engineering innovation and expanding access to life-saving diagnostics.

Read more: https://physicsworld.com/a/affordable-ai-powered-endomicroscope-lines-up-for-early-cancer-detection/

Recognition at the highest level.

Rice ECE congratulates Nakul Garg on earning the 2026 ACM SIGMOBILE Doctoral Dissertation Award, a distinguished honor recognizing exceptional doctoral research and innovation in mobile computing.

We are excited to see members of our community continue advancing technologies that shape the future of computing and communication.

Read more: https://engineering.rice.edu/news/nakul-garg-receives-2026-acm-sigmobile-dissertation-award

What if the walls around you could become part of a machine’s vision system?

Researchers from Rice ECE and collaborators have developed a new approach that turns ordinary matte surfaces into a "virtual screen," helping machines capture highly accurate 3D images of complex environments that include both shiny and matte objects.

The breakthrough could improve machine vision for applications ranging from autonomous vehicles and robotics to manufacturing and medical imaging.

🔗 Read more:

Converting matte surfaces into virtual screens enhances machine vision Rice researchers and collaborators developed a computational imaging method that uses a laser and a high-speed camera to capture complex scenes in three dimensions with exceptional speed and accuracy.

Big ideas, real-world impact. 🔬⚡

Researchers at Rice University and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are advancing the future of early cancer detection with PrecisionView, an AI-powered handheld microscope designed to help clinicians spot cancer earlier and more accurately in real time. Led in part by Rice ECE Chair Ashok Veeraraghavan, the technology combines advanced optics and artificial intelligence to expand imaging capabilities and improve access to lifesaving diagnostics.

This is a powerful example of how innovation in electrical and computer engineering is driving breakthroughs at the intersection of healthcare, AI and imaging.

Read more about this exciting research:

AI-powered handheld microscope aims to spot cancer earlier Researchers at Rice and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a compact, artificial intelligence-powered imaging device that could transform how clinicians detect cancer.

From national conferences to hands-on industry experiences, our undergraduate students in Rice University Electrical and Computer Engineering are taking their learning beyond the classroom. 🌎⚡

Our new Student Spotlight page highlights the conferences, competitions, and professional events our students have attended — and shares their reflections on what they learned along the way this year.

Hear directly from our students about the experiences shaping their academic and professional journeys:

Student Spotlight Fostering diversity and an intellectual environment, Rice University is a comprehensive research university located on a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas. Rice produces the next generation of leaders and advances tomorrow’s thinking.

Congratulations to Rice ECE seniors Mitchell Hoffman, Thomas Pickell, Yilan Ren, Kaan Yilmaz, and Justin Zia for earning the Bill Wilson Prize for Best Electrical and Computer Engineering Design for their senior design team, BEAMFORM! 👏

This prestigious award recognizes the department’s top senior design project and honors the legacy of Dr. Bill Wilson—a beloved professor, mentor and champion of student success whose impact on Rice ECE continues to inspire generations.

We are proud to celebrate Mitchell, Thomas, Yilan, Kaan and Justin on this outstanding achievement and the innovation, collaboration and technical excellence demonstrated through BEAMFORM.