The department is active in a wide range of research areas that can be generally classified as Earth System Science and Earth Structure and Dynamics. The former, ESS, includes paleoceanography, sedimentology, low temperature and crystal surface geochemistry, and environmental geophysics and geochemistry. ESS research focuses on characterization and causes of natural and human induced change to the environment.  ESD research is the more traditional study of the Earth's surface and interior.  ESD strengths at Rice include sedimentology, geophysics and seismology, tectonics, and geochemistry and petrology.

An important aspect of the Rice environment is cross-disciplinary research both within the Earth Science Department and with other departments.  There are a number of "in-house" projects involving sedimentologists, tectonicists, seismologists, and geochemists. The geophysics group has formalized its ongoing collaborations with faculty in the  Computational and Applied Mathematics and the  Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments in the Center for Computational Geophysics.   

The CCG researchers share major computing facilities and a number of collaborative federally funded research projects. Research projects and major equipment are supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, SUN Microsystems, and a large number of petroleum exploration companies.