Rice University Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

From cutting-edge research to meaningful industry connections, the Chevron Lecture on Energy and ChBE Research Symposium brought together students, faculty, alumni and industry leaders for a day of innovation, collaboration and discovery.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, presented, mentored and helped make this event a success — and a special thanks to keynote speaker Michael Tsapatsis for sharing his expertise and to Chris Powers for supporting this event.

Check out highlights from the day and photo gallery below!
🔗 Read more: https://chbe.rice.edu/news/chevron-lecture-research-symposium-showcases-connects-research-industry-and-alumni
📷 Photos: https://riceengineering.smugmug.com/2026/Chevron-Lecture-2026/i-WMR5V8j

🏆 Congratulations to the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Graduate Student Association (CHBE GSA) at Rice University for being recognized with student organization honors!

This recognition reflects the dedication, leadership and community-building efforts of our graduate students who help make ChBE a vibrant and supportive environment.

A special congratulations to Chase Sellers on receiving the Outstanding Member Award for consistently going above and beyond to support the organization and fellow students. We also want to recognize Jason Adams, recipient of the Hudspeth Award (Advisor of the Year Award), for his outstanding mentorship and dedication to student success.

We’re proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and the people who make our ChBE community stronger every day. 👏

Read more: https://chbe.rice.edu/news/graduate-student-association-recognized-student-organization-honors

Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate Shuyuan Yang on the successful defense of her thesis, “Developing a Multicolor GEVI Toolkit for High-Sensitivity and Multiplexed Two-Photon Voltage Imaging of Diverse Neuronal Dynamics" 🎓👏

Shuyuan’s research represents an exciting contribution at the intersection of engineering, biology, and innovation. We are proud to celebrate this important milestone and look forward to seeing the impact of her work.

Please join us in congratulating Shuyuan on this incredible achievement!

🎉 Celebrating excellence in ChBE at Rice!

Congratulations to our outstanding students recognized in this year’s Engineering Student Awards:

👏 Christina Bencin (B.S., Class of 2027) — REA Leadership Excellence Award
👏 Elliott Chen (B.S., Class of 2028) — Fluor Daniel Scholarship; Rodd Selman Scholarship
👏 Bess Glenn (B.S., Class of 2027) — REA Outstanding Student Award; REA Most Distinguished Junior Awardee; Texas Society of Professional Engineers Most Outstanding Junior Award
👏 Connor Hanula (B.S., Class of 2028) — Rodd Selman Scholarship
👏 Regan Kendrick (B.S., Class of 2027) — Chevron Scholarship
👏 Simon King (B.S., Class of 2028) — Rodd Selman Scholarship; Fluor Daniel Scholarship
👏 Maggie Lim (B.S., Class of 2026) — REA Outstanding Student Award; REA Most Distinguished Senior Awardee
👏 Rafael Ramirez (B.S., Class of 2028) — Louise J. Walsh Scholarship
👏 Candace Schwartz (B.S., Class of 2028) — Rodd Selman Scholarship
👏 Ali Raza Sial (B.S., Class of 2028) — Rodd Selman Scholarship

These recognitions highlight the exceptional talent, leadership, and impact of our Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering students. We’re proud to see them honored for their achievements and contributions across the Rice Engineering & Computing community.

Student Awards 2025-26 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.

Big congratulations to the 2026 Akers Design Competition winners! 🎉

The team behind PropylClean—a low-carbon approach to addressing the growing propylene supply gap—took top honors this year, showcasing the kind of innovation and real-world impact that defines Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice.

👏 Shoutout to the winning team:
Gavin Mason, Dian Pan, Maggie Lim, and Joshua He

And congratulations as well to all of this year’s teams for an impressive showcase of talent and ingenuity.

https://chbe.rice.edu/news/propylclean-wins-2026-akers-design-competition

Bridging the gap between research and real-world impact is at the heart of what we do in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University.

In a recent fireside chat, industry leader Barbara Burger shared insights on innovation, commercialization, and the evolving energy landscape, highlighting the importance of collaboration between academia and industry to drive meaningful change. With decades of experience leading innovation efforts at Chevron, her perspective emphasized how bold ideas move from the lab to large-scale impact.

🔗 Read more: https://chbe.rice.edu/news/bridging-innovation-and-industry-fireside-chat-barbara-burger

🎓 We are proud to celebrate the doctoral thesis defense of Jessica Persaud, Doctoral Candidate in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University.

Jessica presented her research, “Regulating Crystallization Pathways in Sn-Based Perovskites via Synergistic Additive Design", highlighting innovative approaches to understanding and controlling crystallization processes with important implications for materials design and performance.

Please join us in congratulating Jessica on this major milestone in her doctoral journey!

Congratulations to Abdullah Alqallaf on the successful defense of his master’s thesis, “Low Temperature Strategies Towards Catalytic Light Alkane Conversion to Olefins Using Gas Diffusion Electrodes.” 👏

His research explores innovative low-temperature approaches to catalytic, light-driven systems—advancing more energy-efficient pathways for chemical transformations and sustainable technologies. Work in this area is critical for reducing energy demands while enabling cleaner, more scalable processes across industries.

We are proud to celebrate this milestone and Abdullah’s contributions to the Rice University Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering community. Wishing him continued success in all that lies ahead!

Congratulations to Juan Donoso on the successful defense of his Ph.D. thesis, “Energy Efficiency and Design Analysis of Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Systems.” 🎉

Juan’s research advances the design and optimization of electrochemical CO₂ conversion technologies, contributing to more energy-efficient and sustainable solutions for carbon utilization. His work represents an important step toward reducing emissions and enabling a cleaner energy future.

We are proud to celebrate this significant milestone and the impact of his contributions to the Rice University Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering community. Wishing Juan continued success in the next chapter of his career!

Join us for an engaging conversation with global industry leader Barbara Burger, PhD, former President of Chevron Technology Ventures, as part of our Conversations with Global Leaders in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering series.

📅 Thursday, April 16, 2026
⏰ 2:30–3:30 PM
📍 McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights at the intersection of innovation, energy, and leadership.

🔗 Register here: https://events.rice.edu/event/427546-conversations-with-global-leaders-in-chemical-and

Congratulations to Ahmad Elgazzar on the successful defense of his Ph.D. thesis, “Interfacial Engineering of Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Electrolyzers for Practical and Stable Operation.” 👏

His research explores innovative approaches to improving electrochemical systems that convert CO₂ into valuable products, an important step toward more sustainable energy and chemical processes.

We’re proud to celebrate this milestone and the impact of his work within the Rice University Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering community. Wishing him continued success in the next chapter!