At the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, you’ll deepen your understanding of the living world and your place within it.
The work that happens here is rooted in our land- and sea-grant mission, and connected to the needs of the local, regional, and global communities. Our faculty researchers work collaboratively across disciplines, drawing from a broad, inclusive field of human knowledge to make critical discoveries within their fields. URI’s core research facilities and specialized labs offer the latest technologies that will enable you to gather field data, synthesize vast amounts of information, and develop solutions to real world challenges. Whether you are interested in urban food systems; protecting marine wildlife; understanding what makes an organism adapt and an ecosystem thrive; or assisting policy makers in the shift towards renewable energy and sustainable natural resource management, you’ll find your place here.
URI Cooperative Extension
Education and engagement with Rhode Island communities is at the core of what we do. As a land-grant and sea-grant university, our mission is to ensure URI provides education and applied research that helps communities and improves the lives of Rhode Islanders.
learn moreNews and Stories
“Be Original”: El Fernekees on Finding Their Path February 24, 2025 - El Fernekees, a senior double majoring in gender and women's studies and marine biology, combines their two majors to approach science from an interdisciplinary perspective. 
Teaching Excellent Spotlight: Maria Peterson February 21, 2025 - Maria Peterson, assistant professor of fisheries, animal, and veterinary science, introduces students to their first semester in the pre-vet and animal science programs, noting that she enjoys watching them grow and learning to work with animals in a clinical setting. 
Fieldwork and knowledge building in Indonesia for Global Center for Blue Climate Solutions February 7, 2025 - An international team was established to prepare the Global Center for Blue Climate Solutions for research to support informed and equitable decisions for mangrove and seagrass conservation and restoration.
Biological Sciences Students Win Grant to Study Immunolabeling in Moss February 4, 2025 - Katherine Hlywa and Emma Zorner will spend the spring semester researching how gene mutations introduced to moss influence cell wall growth thanks to an undergraduate research grant from URI’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Innovation.
