RICE UNIVERSITY SCIENTIST NAMED ONE OF THE WORLD’S TOP 100 YOUNG INNOVATORS
BY MIT’S TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
Lydia Kavraki joins TR100 honorees at event featuring international technology leaders

Rice University today announced that Lydia Kavraki, associate professor of computer science and bioengineering, has been chosen as one of the world’s 100 Top Young Innovators by Technology Review, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s magazine of innovation.

The TR100 is an annual list that recognizes innovative work in business and technology that profoundly impacts today’s world. Nominees are recognized for their contribution in transforming the nature of technology in industries such as biotechnology, computing, energy, medicine, manufacturing, nanotechnology, telecommunications and transportation.

Kavraki develops mathematical algorithms and programming techniques that can be used to direct the movement of robots. By drawing analogies between robots and molecules, in her latest research she has adapted her robotics approaches to develop next-generation protein modeling software that accounts for the movement of molecules when they interact with each other. This dynamic biomolecular modeling software can be used by drug designers and medical researchers to analyze receptor-ligand interactions, protein folding, protein docking and drug design.

TR100’s panel of judges included: