New Rice University Research Center Takes on Challenge to Break Down, Replace PFAS
Rice University inaugurated a new research center dedicated to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in late August during a visit to campus by representatives of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).
The ERDC delegation, led by agency director David Pittman, was welcomed by Rice President Reginald DesRoches, who said the new Rice PFAS Alternatives and Remediation Center (R-PARC) “builds on multiyear, multimillion-dollar collaborative efforts with ERDC.”
“We firmly believe that Rice is exceptionally well-positioned to develop disruptive technologies and innovations to address the global challenges posed by PFAS,” DesRoches says. “We look forward to deepening our relationship with ERDC and working together to address these critical challenges.”
Pittman, who also serves as the director of research and development and chief scientist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, gave an overview of the USACE R&D strategy, highlighting the importance of a growing partnership between Rice and USACE.
R-PARC will bring together top researchers, industry, policy experts, and entrepreneurs to foster collaboration and accelerate the development of innovative solutions to several PFAS challenges. These include comprehensive PFAS characterization and risk assessment, contaminated site remediation, water treatment infrastructure upgrades, and the development of safe alternatives.
“The challenge of PFAS cuts across several of the four major research trajectories that define Rice’s strategic vision,” says Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice’s executive vice president for research and professor of materials science and nanoengineering and physics and astronomy. “R-PARC will help focus and amplify ongoing work on PFAS remediation at Rice.”
The center is formally housed under Rice’s Water Technologies Entrepreneurship and Research (WaTER) Institute.
Launched in January 2024, the WaTER Institute builds on the track record of advancements in clean water technology research and applications established during the decade-long tenure of the Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), funded by the National Science Foundation. As part of the WaTER Institute, R-PARC will leverage this history of expertise and benefit from recent institutional investments, including in PFAS-dedicated advanced analytical equipment.
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