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
URI’s Michael Rice Leads Education, Collaboration on Fisheries Sustainability in the Philippines July 18, 2025 - Michael A. Rice, professor and chair of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, returned to the Philippines this summer to work with key academic partners and provide professional development training to local fisheries officers. 
Mangrove as metaphor: Adaptable plant offers inspiration for a new model for sustainable food systems July 16, 2025 - Professor Patrick Baur’s research focuses on equitably and sustainably balancing human livelihoods and ecosystems through improving how food is produced, distributed, and eaten. He works at the intersection of environmental science and public policy and co-authored a recent paper in the journal Nature Food.
Growing Smarter: Rethinking Sustainability in Controlled Environment Agriculture July 15, 2025 - Sheriff Aliu, a Ph.D. candidate in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems working in URI’s Baur Food Systems Lab, researches sustainability and equity assessment for commercial Controlled Environment Agriculture operations.
Fellowship Spotlight: Carli Romano on Shoreline Access in Rhode Island July 10, 2025 - As part of a CELS Summer Research Fellowship, marine affairs and political science double major Carli Romano is working with Professors Melva Treviño Peña and Jesse Reiblich on coastal access policy research in Rhode Island.
