Editor's note: Innovators hailing from both Rice University and University of Houston made headlines in August by developing a new biomaterial that could replace plastic and deploying a new flood scale to help Houstonians stay safe. Plus, one local innovator has a big move on the horizon. Here are five Houston innovators to know right now. M.A.S.R. Saadi and Muhammed Maksud Rahman, Rice University and University of Houston Collaborators from two Houston universities are leading the way in ...| InnovationMap
Two top-tier Houston universities have been inducted into a new "hall of fame" list of the best colleges in the U.S. for 2026. Rice University and theUniversity of Houston were both praised in The Princeton Review's "The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition." Released August 12, the comprehensive guide annually ranks the best universities across 50 categories based on a survey of 170,000 current college students. Survey questions cover topics such as a school's academics and administration, studen...| InnovationMap
Houston-based The Welch Foundation has issued $700,000 in additional funding to support chemical research through two of its newest grant programs. The foundation has named the recipients of its Welch eXperimental (WelchX) Collaboration Retreat and Pilot Grants and the Welch Postdoctoral Fellows of the Life Sciences Research Foundation Grants. The WelchX grants were awarded to teams of two Texas researchers who presented "innovative and collaborative ideas" addressing challenges in the clean ...| Energy Capital
From massage chairs to meditation zones, campus recreation departments across the country are creating recovery spaces that help students, faculty| Campus Rec Magazine
Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University have been awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to create the Center for Humanities-based Health AI Innovation (CHHAIN). The new center and three-year initiative aims to create ethically responsible and trustworthy AI for health care that uses history and patient narratives to shape the technology, according to a release. It represents a collaboration between the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy ...| InnovationMap
Pothik Chatterjee was named executive director of Rice University's and Houston Methodist's Digital Health Institute, effective May 1.| InnovationMap
Three Houston startups were granted awards from NASA this month to develop new technologies for the space agency.| InnovationMap
Greentown Labs has named Lawson Gow as its Head of Houston.| InnovationMap
Rice University’s OpenStax and Microsoft are partnering to integrate the nonprofit’s content with the tech giant’s AI innovation, known as Learning Zone.| InnovationMap
Rice University has announced it will begin offering a four-year degree in artificial intelligence starting this fall.| EdScoop
A new analysis of planet formation models estimates the odds of a theoretical Planet Nine orbiting our sun at 40% given proper conditions.| The Debrief
While virtual reality has progressed leaps and bounds in the past few years, with motion-based inputs and a plethora of promising VR headsets close on the horizon, our ability to actually feel what we see in virtual worlds remains limited – especially in the consumer space. But a team of…| New Atlas
Rice University has secured part of a nearly $35 million federal grant aimed at commercializing a bioelectric implant for treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.| InnovationMap
Rice University announced a new research center that will focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) called the Rice PFAS Alternatives and Remediation Center (R-PARC).| Energy Capital
A team of Rice University engineers has developed a reactor design that can decarbonize ammonia production, produce clean water and potentially have applications in further research into other eco-friendly chemical processes.| Energy Capital
Classes are barely back in session, and already Rice University students have report cards to write home about. In this case, their school's getting graded. No surprise: It made the honor roll.| InnovationMap
Rice University has doled out another batch of grants from its program supporting lab-based innovations.| InnovationMap
Lithium is a finite resource, and the more we lock inside rechargeable batteries, the less we have to use. A new speedy method to free the element from such sources could be a game changer in terms of the material's availability.| New Atlas