Rice University's Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies

This Father’s Day, we’re celebrating the grad student dads balancing research, coursework and family — and the fathers and father figures cheering on our graduate students every step of the way.
Happy Father’s Day from Rice Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies!

Rice bioengineers have developed a “living bandage” designed to help wounds heal faster.
The cytokine factory patch uses engineered cells to continuously deliver therapeutic proteins directly within the wound environment. In preclinical studies, the patch supported accelerated healing across multiple wound models.
It’s another example of Rice graduate research turning big ideas into real-world impact.
Link in bio to read more.

The World Cup is officially underway at the Graduate Commons.
Our graduate students gathered with the rest of the Rice community to watch the first match between Mexico and South Africa, bringing plenty of spirit.
With so many countries represented in our graduate community, the World Cup is more than a tournament — it’s a chance to celebrate the global connections that make Rice feel like home.
Thanks to everyone who joined us for the first watch party. More matches, more memories and more reasons to cheer together are ahead.
Check out all the news and events at rice.edu/fifa26

Rice Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences graduate student Debjeet Pathak is helping uncover new clues about the early solar system — and the building blocks that helped make Earth habitable.
As the corresponding author on a new paper in Science Advances, Pathak worked with Rice researchers to study iron meteorites, fragments from some of the earliest planetary bodies to form more than 4.5 billion years ago.
By recreating meteorite crystallization in the lab, the team found new evidence about how nitrogen and phosphorus — two elements essential for life — were distributed in the early solar system.
Their findings suggest Earth’s life-essential ingredients may have been sourced from early small, solid celestial bodies formed from cosmic dust and gas in the inner solar system.
At Rice, graduate students are not just studying the universe. They are helping explain how it came to be.

Deep in the heart of Texas — and now officially honorary Texans.

Rice Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies was proud to welcome EducationUSA advisers to Houston alongside Rice Undergraduate Admissions, the University of Houston and Lone Star College.

EducationUSA advisers help international students worldwide explore opportunities to study at U.S. colleges and universities, guiding them through the application process and helping them find the right academic fit.

Their visit included a special moment as Jennifer Hunter, assistant dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, made the group honorary Texans.

We’re grateful for the chance to showcase Rice, Houston and the incredible higher education community that helps make this city such a global destination for students.

Read more about the visit in our bio.

Quiet summer quad, native flowers doing their thing. 🌿
Just inside the Sallyport, Rice’s Academic Quad is the heart of campus — designed with Texas-friendly plants, more shade and space to gather. It may be a little quieter this time of year, but it still looks like Rice.
The quad’s redesign includes native and climate-adapted plants that support pollinators and increase biodiversity on campus.
Learn more at rice.edu/quad