The Mehta Rice Engineer Scholar Program Fuels Global Talent

For Rahul Mehta, education is about opening doors to possibility. An entrepreneur who built four successful software companies after immigrating to the United States, Rahul has long believed in the transformative power of education — and the role universities play in shaping the future.

Through the Mehta Family Foundation, Rahul has dedicated himself to creating opportunities for students in India to engage with fields of study that don’t yet exist in their home institutions. “Our vision is to create intellectual talent in India,” he explains. “There are many fields that exist in American universities but don’t exist in India. The question is, ‘How do you give that exposure to Indian students?’”

That mission led him to Rice University. Although he didn’t attend Rice himself, Rahul’s family ties run deep — his brothers and nieces are graduates, and he took MBA courses at the university. His partnership with Rice grew from conversations with President Reginald DesRoches, then dean of engineering, and Luay Nakhleh, dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing. Together, they launched the Mehta Rice Engineer Scholar Program, which has become one of the university’s most distinctive global talent initiatives.

The program addresses two challenges: how Rice can attract the best students from India and how Indian students can gain access to world-class research environments. Each year, the program issues an open call for applications and receives hundreds of responses. From this pool, Rice faculty select a small cohort of top students to spend six months on campus conducting research alongside faculty and graduate students.

Funding from the Mehta Family Foundation’s current-use gift ensures the impact of the program is immediate and far-reaching. Students gain invaluable exposure in American research settings and return to India with enhanced skills and global perspectives. Rice, in turn, gets to know these students closely — their abilities, work ethic and adaptability — before extending long-term opportunities. In some cases, faculty members have offered participants postdoctoral positions within weeks of their arrival.

“It’s a win-win,” Rahul says. “Rice gains access to top global talent, and students begin to see Rice as a destination for advanced study and research. Over time, this elevates Rice’s visibility and reputation in India, helping the university compete with peer institutions for the best minds.”

For Rahul, the heart of the program lies in its people. Each year, he hosts the visiting scholars and faculty at his home, listening to their stories and celebrating their journeys. “It’s very heartwarming to see the students, hear about their journeys and put a face and a voice to their stories,” he says. “That’s what makes this work worthwhile.”

Looking ahead, Rahul hopes the program will continue to expand Rice’s presence in India and strengthen the university’s master’s and doctoral programs. At its core, the initiative reflects a belief he holds deeply: Talent is the key to unlocking innovation.

“Supporting Rice in the hunt for global talent enables faculty to achieve their full potential,” Rahul explains. “In the end, it’s great talent that will define Rice as a global leader in research and discovery.”

Accelerate the Vision

By investing in global talent initiatives, you can help Rice attract the brightest minds from around the world and fuel groundbreaking research and discovery.

To learn how you can support Rice scholars, contact Cynthia Riley, senior director of development, engineering and computing, at cynthia.c.riley@rice.edu or 713-348-7347.