Rice–IISc Strategic Collaboration Awards (SCA)

Deep Generative Models for Solving Inverse Problems in Imaging

This collaborative project is focused on solving inverse problems in state-of-the-art lens-free imaging modalities with emphasis on developing computationally efficient algorithms and .. This collaboration will leverage state-of-the-art GenAI (generative artificial intelligence) frameworks to develop practically deployable solutions that promise an unprecedented image reconstruction quality. This collaboration will pave the way for stronger ties between IISc and Rice University. Expand for full Project Abstract

Ashok Veeraraghavan

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering |

Professor, Computer Science |

Member, Ken Kennedy Institute

Rice University

Chandra Sekhar Seelamantula

Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering |

Member, IEEE Computational Imaging Technical Committee

Indian Institute of Science

Development of a Single Dose, Pulsatile Release, Viral Vaccine Formulation

A recent landmark study by WHO estimates that vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives and prevented illness in countless others, yet the need to immunize all people to .. prevent disease imposes major accessibility challenges, particularly in low-resource settings, as was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this project, Dr. Raghavan Varadarajan, a Professor in the Molecular Biophysics Unit at the Indian Institute of Science, and Dr. Kevin McHugh, an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, are teaming up to encapsulate Dr. Varadarajan's thermostable COVID-19 vaccine in Dr. McHugh's pulsatile-release vaccine delivery system to create a single-injection COVID-19 vaccine that enhances and prolongs protection against the disease without the need for frequent injections. In the long term, they envision this strategy being employed broadly for all vaccines, overcoming barriers to vaccine accessibility and lowering healthcare costs globally. Expand for full Project Abstract

Kevin McHugh

Associate Professor of Bioengineering |

Associate Professor of Chemistry |

CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research

Rice University

Raghavan Varadarajan

Professor, Molecular Biophysics Unit

Indian Institute of Science

Novel Membrane Materials and Processes for Organic Solvent Recovery

Organic solvents and their mixtures comprise a significant fraction of industrial waste: for example, the pharmaceuticals industry produces 25-100 kg of waste per kilogram of .. solvent-based; this sector is of major importance in India, the country being the largest global producer of generic medicine. While pervaporation is a decades-old technology, membranes to tackle ‘harsh’ solvents relevant to various industries, as well as low permeation rates, have not allowed it to fly in practice. With the combined expertise of nanophotonics-enhanced membrane processes from Prof. Qilin Li’s group at Rice University and membrane system design in Dr. Yagnaseni Roy’s group at IISc, both mentioned bottlenecks to pervaporation will be overcome, thereby sharpening the edges of this technology, and enabling it to move the world to a cleaner and greener future. Expand for full Project Abstract

Qilin Li

Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering |

Co-Director, NEWT Center

Rice University

Yagnaseni Roy

Assistant Professor, Centre for Sustainable Technologies

Indian Institute of Science

Calcium Isotope as a Probe for Crustal Recycling, Mantle Heterogeneity, and Genesis of Critical Minerals-forming Carbonatite Rocks

Rajdeep Dasgupta

W. Maurice Ewing Professor of Earth Systems Science, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences

Rice University

Ramananda Chakrabarti

Professor, Centre for Earth Sciences |

Associate Faculty, Interdisciplinary Centre for Water Research (ICWaR)

Indian Institute of Science

Two-Dimensional High Entropy Alloys (2D HEA)

One fascinating aspect of bulk high-entropy materials is the "cocktail effect". This effect occurs when multiple elements are mixed, resulting in enhanced properties that are not .. This effect occurs when multiple elements are mixed, resulting in enhanced properties that are not present in any of the individual elements. We will be investigating the extent to which this effect can be translated to 2D structures. Consequently, the project involves the synthesis of 2D high-entropy alloys, their detailed characterization in terms of composition and structure, and the emergent properties thereof. Expand for full Project Abstract

Pulickel M. Ajayan

Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor of Engineering, Materials Science and NanoEngineering

Rice University

Satyam Suwas

Co-PIs, Professor and Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Engineering

Indian Institute of Science

Surendra K Makineni

Department of Materials Engineering

Indian Institute of Science