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
Cranberry Q&A: URI grad student finalizing bog pollination study November 13, 2026 - Doctoral candidate Ren Johnson finishing paper on pollinators of wild and cultivated Rhode Island cranberry bogs after two-year field survey
Gobble update: URI team reports on wild turkeys in southern New England November 12, 2026 - Grad students in Natural Resources Science are monitoring an important part of New England history and heritage to better understand local turkey populations. 
The Crew Behind the Catch November 12, 2026 - On a small research vessel, scientists double as crew. On the R/V Warfish, that teamwork produced a first in common thresher shark research.
From maps to infrastructure: Putting GIS to work November 9, 2026 - Michaela Derderian ’19, M.E.S.M. ’24 uses GIS to maintain critical infrastructure records at Providence Water, helping crews and engineers keep Rhode Island's water system running.
