Every year, the Innovation Fellows remind us what’s possible when bold ideas meet Rice grit. The 2025 cohort brings together scientists, engineers, and change makers who aren’t afraid to ask big questions and chase down even bigger solutions. Working alongside them has been electric, and we can’t wait for the Rice community to get to know these innovators who are shaping what’s next.
Meet the 2025 Innovation Fellows
Here’s a snapshot of each Fellow and the big questions they’re tackling. Get ready to be inspired:
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Lucas Eddy (Ph.D. ’25, Applied Physics & Chemistry)
Lucas pioneered rapid flash Joule heating to destroy PFAS and turning toxic waste into a new frontier for remediation and nanomaterial upcycling. He’s now scaling the process to tackle PFAS across diverse soil types. -
Chen‑Yang Lin (Ph.D. ’25, Materials Science & Nano‑Engineering)
Co-founder of HEXAspec, Chen‑Yang is building next-gen thermal solutions for AI chips, aiming to cool evolving semiconductor designs. HEXAspec’s work already earned major wins from Lilie’s annual NRLC Championships to CERAWeek’s pitch competition. -
Sarah Jimenez (Ph.D. ’27, Bioengineering)
Sarah is engineering transplantable hearts using decellularized animal scaffolds and automating the process with a custom cell-delivery system bringing us closer to lab-grown, patient-specific heart replacements. -
Alexander Lathem (Ph.D. ’26, Applied Physics & Chemistry)
Alexander is transforming laser-induced graphene (LIG) from lab curiosity to industrial powerhouse—scaling it for use in electronics, sensors, and biotech applications en masse. -
Alvaro Moreno Lozano (Ph.D. ’27, Bioengineering)
Alvaro is creating a bioartificial pancreas using advanced biomaterials and cell engineering poised to help Type 1 Diabetes patients maintain healthy glucose levels without insulin injections. -
Dilrasbonu (“Bonu”) Vohidova (Ph.D. ’27, Bioengineering)
Bonu is engineering therapeutic cells that release immunomodulators to prevent Type 1 Diabetes, encapsulated in biocompatible materials for long-term therapy that protects islets while preserving immune function. -
Alexandria Carter (Ph.D. ’27, Bioengineering)
Alexandria is developing a superhydrophobic, high-throughput device for 3D culturing of organoids, tumor models powering a new era in personalized diagnostics and cellular biology. -
Mor Sela Golan (Commercialization Fellow, Bioengineering)
Mor is translating her expertise in nanotechnology and biomaterial-based cell therapy into solutions for lymphedema bridging lab-based research with real patient impact. -
John Li (Commercialization Fellow, Chemistry & Materials Science)
With experience spanning Rice and Stanford labs, John is a Value Entrepreneurship champion melding STEM innovation with business model creativity and commercialization insights.