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
New Faculty Spotlight: Zarah Deutsch August 22, 2025 - Zarah Deutsch joins the College of the Environment and Life Sciences this fall as an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science. 
Block Island bird study reveals some good news for island’s migrating songbirds August 20, 2025 - Every fall, thousands of migrating songbirds make a pit stop on Block Island. A recent study coauthored by Lauren Michael reveals a promising trend: while many species experienced steep declines in the 1970s and ’80s, most have since stabilized or begun to recover.
CELS professor receives NSF CAREER Award for study of Southern Ocean predator August 19, 2025 - Sarah Kienle has been awarded a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award to investigate the causes and consequences of female-biased dimorphism in leopard seals, generating new data on the life, physiology, and biology of this important and mysterious polar predator. 
Mia Jenkins and Brandon Howard on Design to Improve Public Green Spaces August 8, 2025 - Through the Regenerative Community Design Lab, landscape architecture majors Mia Jenkins and Brandon Howard are partnering with the towns of Charlestown, Cumberland, and Providence to redesign public green spaces using sustainable, nature-based solutions. From managing stormwater to creating welcoming parks, they’re turning classroom lessons into real-world change.
