Rice University Computer Science

Home
United States
Houston, TX
Rice University Computer Science

Excellence in computer science since 1984. Rice Computer Science is a department in the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing.

Established in the George R. Brown School of Engineering in 1984, the Department of Computer Science at Rice University serves as a center of expertise and excellence in computing technologies. CS offers both undergraduate (BS, BA) and graduate (MCS, MS, PhD) degrees. Our faculty and students perform world-class research, focused in Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence, Computer Engineering and

Systems, and Programming Languages and Software Engineering, as well as in multidisciplinary research in the medical and energy industries.

08/31/2026

What if you could predict how a disease will progress in a specific person before symptoms appear?

That's the question driving Rice Computer Science Assistant Professor Vicky Yao's lab. She integrates genetic data, clinical records and imaging to build computational models of disease.

Watch how her research bridges data and disease.
https://youtu.be/SATSKpa8pAs?si=JosWk43K09Rsu2FP

08/28/2026

Computer Science Professor Lydia Kavraki and Bioengineering Professor Rebecca Richards-Kortum are the first two faculty members in Rice’s history to be elected to all three National Academies: Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

Fewer than 35 researchers hold memberships in all three academies. Yesterday, nearly 300 faculty, students and colleagues gathered at McMurtry Auditorium for the Triple Crown of Discovery celebration to honor Lydia and Rebecca. Rice University President Reginald DesRoches spoke about the significance of their distinction.

Lydia’s surprise guest, Jean-Claude Latombe, her PhD advisor, delighted the crowd and delivered remarks about the curiosity and work ethic that have defined her career in robotics and computational biology. Luay Nakhleh, Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, proudly presented both honorees with awards in recognition of this extraordinary achievement.

Lydia shared with attendees that at age 17, she chose computer science because it was a new and exciting field. Her work has since advanced medicine and shaped generations of students and researchers. Learn more about Lydia’s research: kavrakilab.org

We are proud to recognize both Professors Kavraki and Richards-Kortum for this historic achievement.

08/25/2026

Excited for Rice Computer Science's Thai Duong and Ria Stevens.
Both are advancing to the next chapter of their careers and have been selected for the 2026-27 Future Faculty Fellows program, an honor that recognizes their potential to shape the future of academia.

Thai is developing autonomous robotic systems under Prof. Lydia Kavraki's mentorship, while Ria focuses on the theoretical foundations of machine learning under Profs. Maryam Aliakbarpour and Tasos Kyrillidis.

They're among 11 fellows chosen across the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing for their commitment to research, teaching and mentorship. The program prepares them with one-on-one consultations, tailored workshops and mock interviews to launch successful academic careers.

Read more about this year's cohort. https://ow.ly/J4Ux50ZCvHE

Pictured Front (L-R): Arka Chatterjee, Duygu Vargun, Sarah Glass and Weifan Liu.
Back (L-R): Thai Duong, Md Abid Shahriar Rahman Saadi, Yihua Xu and Ria Stevens.
Not pictured: Rose Graves, Shalini Pandey and Lei Zhang.

08/24/2026

Welcome back, Rice Computer Science students. Whether you're starting week one or finishing your final stretch, first-day energy is real. You're part of a community doing work that matters.

The first day means a fresh start for everyone, and we can't wait to see you at Duncan Hall.

We're excited to see what you build this year.

Good luck this year!
https://cs.rice.edu/

08/20/2026

Meet Jefferson Hernandez.

This summer at Adobe Research, he built evaluation tools for image editing, collaborated with teams across the company and learned what it looks like to move research ideas into real products as a PhD Research Scientist Intern.

His takeaway: "Rice is a great place to learn how to interact in this big tech environment. The PhD teaches you a lot about how to do research and collaborate with other peers."

Internships aren't just about the work. They're about seeing yourself in those spaces. Working alongside people who are thinking about hard problems. Discovering what kind of engineer or researcher you want to become.

What did your internship teach you? Drop a comment.

08/19/2026

Two Rice professors. Two triple crowns. One historic moment.

Lydia Kavraki of Computer Science and Rebecca Richards-Kortum of Bioengineering have both been elected to all three National Academies: the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.

It's an honor held by fewer than 35 researchers alive today.

This is what it means to lead in your field.
This is what it means to inspire a generation.
This is Rice.

Students, alumni, faculty and staff, please join us on August 27 at 4 pm to celebrate them both at the Triple Crown of Discovery.
https://bit.ly/4b6X5QA

08/18/2026

Welcome back, Rice University Computer Science community.

O-Week is here. Nearly 500 new freshmen packed Duncan Hall.
Our returning students are settling back in.
Faculty and staff are energized.
Campus is alive.

Dean Nakhleh reminded us of something that matters:
The AI tools we use are powerful.
Use them to become stronger, not to skip the hard parts.
Whether you're in your first semester or your last, that message holds.

Whether you're here to build the next generation of systems, solve complex data problems or shape how we live alongside AI, you're joining a community of people who are genuinely excited to see what you'll do next.

We're rooting for you. Welcome home, Owls.

08/14/2026

Three months ago, our students were heading into internships, research labs and first real jobs. We can't wait to hear what they built.

See you soon at Duncan Hall, Owls!

08/11/2026

If you've used ChatGPT, clicked on a recommendation or watched AI reshape your industry, you already have a relationship with AI.

The question is: do you understand how it works?

Rice Computer Science just launched two new AI courses, open to every major.
No coding background required.
No math prerequisites.
No prior computer science experience needed.

COMP 101: Vibe Coding with LLMs teaches you to build real programs alongside large language models like Gemini and Claude.

COMP 238: Understanding the Machines gives you a clear-eyed look at how generative AI actually works, including the ethics, the stakes and what it all means for your career.

Ready to learn? Check out the full story.
https://ow.ly/lqiv50ZwMeY
What aspect of AI are you most curious about?

08/06/2026

Meet Jingwei Zuo. He spent this summer at Google Cloud as a PhD Software Engineering Intern, optimizing AI model training and performance.

He didn't just run experiments. He optimized code, traced performance bottlenecks and collaborated across teams to solve real problems.

When we asked what surprised him most, he said, "I learned that building products requires a great amount of engineering effort and great rigor and seriousness. Different from research prototypes, the main goal of engineering products is to be useful, reliable and maintainable."

That's what Rice Computer Science students bring to the table.
How did your internship change how you think about your career?

More about our graduate programs: https://ow.ly/ZYBZ50Zwf66

Address

Houston, TX
77005

Website

http://www.cs.rice.edu/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rice University Computer Science posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The University

Send a message to Rice University Computer Science:

Want your university to be the top-listed University in Houston?