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
Laura Eme, Associate Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, on Exploring Evolutionary Biology with Bioinformatics March 19, 2025 - New associate professor of cell and molecular biology, Laura Eme, uses bioinformatics to study the evolutionary history and diversity of microbial life.
Camera trap images from URI’s North Woods survey contribute to nationwide research project March 17, 2025 - Since 2019, researchers in the Department of Natural Resources Science have captured camera trap data as part of the Smithsonian’s Snapshot USA
What’s the buzz? Student research on cranberry pollinators takes second in competitions March 12, 2025 - Ren Johnson and Abigail Gill, both in URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences, were recently awarded second place by Arizona’s Entomological Society of America and the URI Undergraduate Symposium.
URI STEEP launches 2025 Webinar Series: PFAS on Cape Cod – Connecting Communities with Science for Solutions March 12, 2025 - First webinar on household exposures and community solutions set for March 20