ENGMED (Engineering and Medicine)
School: Engineering and Computing
Department: Mechanical Engineering
The past decade has seen a dramatic transformation in our quality of life as a result of disruptive new technologies that are changing the way we study, diagnose, and treat disease. These technologies include the application of cellular and molecular engineering approaches to create living, cell-based therapies; the use of biologically compatible materials to regenerate tissue lost to disease; the creation of robotics and patient-device interfaces that automate therapy and enhance human performance; and the application bioinformatics and machine learning to disease diagnosis and the personalization of treatment. The emergence of these new technologies has been the direct product of interdisciplinary, team-based research performed at the intersection between engineering and medical sciences.
ENGMED is a summer research experience that will bring students from institutions across the country who are majoring in various branches of engineering and computer science together with engineering faculty engaged in leading edge collaborative research with non-engineers in the health sciences. The program matches participants with faculty mentors from across the Rice University School of Engineering (SOE) who are engaged in active research collaborations with groups from Texas Medical Center (TMC) in emerging areas of interdisciplinary research, including: i) cellular and molecular engineering; ii) biomaterials and tissue engineering; iii) robotics and therapeutic devices, and; iv) machine learning and bioinformatics. Participants will be trained to conduct team-based research through participation in collaborative projects between Rice and TMC partners.
- Program Start Date: May 27, 2026
- Program End Date: July 31, 2026
- Program Length: 10 weeks
- Application Deadline: March 1, 2026
Additional Information:
On-campus housing provided, $6,500 stipend for ten weeks of REU
Program Contact:
For further information regarding this program, please contact Cecilia Fernandez at chf1@rice.edu.
Faculty Program Directors
