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 natural resources faculty discuss L.A. wildfires, regional risks January 10, 2025 - URI programs looking at wildfire management and impact, from ground level up.
URI Professor Emerita Jacqueline Webb Receives Robert K. Johnson Award for Excellence in Service January 10, 2025 - Dr. Jacqueline (“Jackie”) Webb, professor emerita of biological sciences, recently received the 2024 Robert K. Johnson Award for Excellence in Service by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.
Photo by Marian Goldsmith, Professor Emerita, URI. 
URI-led study finds two classes of enzymes ignore common rule of evolution January 7, 2025 - Research by Professor of Biological Sciences Alison Roberts and colleagues has revealed that plants also make cellulose microfibrils using a different class of enzymes called CSLD–an important discovery with potential implications for everything from textiles to renewable energy. 
Master Gardeners grow Indigenous connections January 2, 2025 - Master Gardeners from URI Cooperative Extension are growing connections with Rhode Island’s Indigenous community at the Pettaquamscutt Community Gardens, two miles from campus. An Indigenous-led, multigenerational non-profit garden, it uses traditional ancestral practices and heirloom seeds. The project is led by Indigenous community members, including Shirley Brown, URI Master Gardener, Class of 2022, and a Narragansett Tribal elder.
