2026 Mentors
Mentors on this list have indicated willingness to host a SURF Fellow for Summer 2026. Click on their name to read more about the research areas and potential projects of SURF projects.
When submitting an application with a mentor on this list, select that you want to be matched with a mentor on this list. Applicants will then be asked to indicate their preferred mentors in their applications and include motivation for their selection.
Note: Potential mentors are not limited to this list. Applicants can apply with any Rice mentor who will provide support in a summer research project. Applicants applying with a mentor not on this list must receive mentor approval prior to submitting an application.
Engineering
- Dr. Jason Adams Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- Dr. Raudel Avila Mechanical Engineering
- Dr. Guha Balakrishnan Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Lisa Biswal Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- Mackenzie Bonny (PI: Dr. Qilin Li) Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Dr. Vivek Boominathan Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Keefer Boone (PI: Dr. Cynthia Reinhart-King) Bioengineering
- Dr. Aladin Boriek Integrative Physiology and Biophysics, Mechanical Engineering
- Cesar Andres Cardenas Alvarado Statistics
- Dr. Hanjie Chen Computer Science
- Dr. Abbie Clevenger Bioengineering
- Dr. Nakul Garg Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Bezawit Getachew Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Dr. Keya Ghonasgi Mechanical Engineering
- Sarah Glass (PI: Dr. Pedro Alvarez) Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Dr. Kai Gong Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Dr. John Greiner Computer Science
- Caleb Hatch (PI: Dr. Harris Pirie) Materials Science & NanoEngineering
- Dr. Shengxi Huang Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Edward Knightly Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Yong Lin Kong Mechanical Engineering
- Dr. Lan Luan Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Beatriz Mayol Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Amanda Nash Bioengineering
- Dr. Larissa Novelino Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Dr. Lisa O'Bryan Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Tirthak Patel Computer Science
- Calvin Paulsen (PI: Dr. Jessica Butts) Bioengineering
- Dr. Daniel Preston Mechanical Engineering
- Esha Ramanan (PI: Dr. George Lu) Bioengineering
- Dr. Vanessa Sanchez Mechanical Engineering
- Dr. Akane Sano Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Christian Schreib Bioengineering
- Dr. Juliane Sempionatto Electrical & Computer Engineering, Bioengineering
- Dr. John Seymour Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Nishal Shah Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Arlei Silva Computer Science
- Dr. Lauren Stadler Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Yiran Sun (Dr. Osama R. Mawlawi) Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Kelsey Swingle Bioengineering
- Dr. Rafael Verduzco Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- Madelyn Whitaker (Dr. Pedro Alvarez) Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- Dr. Hanyu Zhu Materials Science & NanoEngineering
- Dr. Everett Zofchak Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Architecture, Business, Education, Humanities
- Dr. Leslie Chandler Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (Glasscock School of Continuing Studies)
- Dr. Emily Prinsloo Marketing
- Dr. Ian Ting Architecture
- Dr. Lora Wildenthal History, Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality
Natural Sciences
- Dr. Aladin Boriek Integrative Physiology and Biophysics, Mechanical Engineering
- Dr. VinÃcius Contessoto Physics & Astronomy, Center for Theoretical Biological Physics
- Maryam Faghihi (Dr. Scott Egan) BioSciences
- Dr. Helge Gonnermann Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
- Dr. Emma Heitmann Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
- Dr. Andre Izidoro Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
- Dr. Saheed Jimoh BioSciences
- Dr. Matthew Jones Chemistry
- Dr. Edison Liang Physics & Astronomy
- Dr. Quanbing Mou Chemistry
- Dr. Guido Pagano Physics & Astronomy
- Dr. Amanda Perkins-Ball Kinesiology
- Dr. Volker Rudolf BioSciences
- Dr. Andrea Rummel BioSciences
- Dr. Yandi Wu Mathematics
- Dr. Pablo Yepes Physics & Astronomy
- Dr. Jize (David) Yu Mathematics
Social Sciences
- Dr. Corey Abramson Sociology
- Dr. Kirsten Adam Psychological Sciences
- Dr. Dogus Aktan Political Science
- Dr. Hannah Ballard Center for Community and Public Health (Kinder Institute)
- Sabrina Cuauro (PI: Dr. Luz Garcini) Psychological Sciences
- Dr. Taylor Damann Political Science
- Dr. Hossam Elsherbiny Transnational Asian Studies
- Dr. Kenneth Evans Baker Institute
- Dr. Ilana Gershon Anthropology
- Dr. Huatse Gyal Anthropology
- Dr. Suzanne Kemmer Linguistics, Cognitive Sciences
- Dr. Rithika Kumar Political Science
- Dr. Sejal Mistry Kinder Institute
- Dr. Tanika Raychaudhuri Political Science
- Dr. Michelle Smirnova Sociology, Kinder Institute
- Dr. Tianjun Sun Psychological Sciences
- Dr. Tori Thomas Houston Education Research Consortium (Kinder Institute)
- Dr. Kirsten Westmoreland Psychological Sciences
- Dr. Lora Wildenthal, Abby Stovall, Dr. Brian Riedel (Library Sciences)