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
- URI invasive species expert co-leads two global studies published in two Nature journals June 5, 2024 - Dr. Laura Meyerson, URI professor of invasion science and habitat restoration ecology and editor-in-chief of the journal Biological Invasions, is a contributing lead author on the IPBES assessment and a lead author on the paper – one of two papers Meyerson has recently published in Nature journals.
- Science journalist Erica Gies to deliver Metcalf’s Leeson Lecture on ‘Listening to Water’ May 28, 2024 - Headlining Metcalf’s Annual Public Lecture Series will be science journalist Erica Gies, who will present the 2024 Leeson Lecture on Thursday, June 6, at 3:30 p.m.
- Boots to Bushels new farmer training for New England: veterans invited to join May 28, 2024 - The University of Rhode Island’s Cooperative Extension is offering a new program this year, connecting New England military veterans and beginning farmers with opportunities in agriculture.
- Commencement 2024: For biological sciences graduate, problem solving is a core skill May 28, 2024 - CELS graduate Alberto Paz’s research group develops open-source software and models for simulation of biological systems to achieve mechanistic understandings at molecular, organismal, and ecosystems scales.