Welcome to the College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS)!

Driven by the principles of our land-and-sea grant missions, CELS combines education, research, and outreach to improve the quality of life for local, regional, and global communities with science-based discoveries. 

With 9 departments, 110+ nationally-recognized faculty members, and 2,300+ students from around the world, we prioritize interdisciplinary collaboration across the broad areas of the environment and life sciences–including marine biology; biotechnology; sustainable food systems; and environmental economics, management, policy, and design–to address the most pressing challenges of today. 

In CELS, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue enriching, hands-on educational experiences beyond the classroom. There are countless opportunities for students to engage with experts in the laboratory and field, including research and internships at nearly 150 placements such as Save the Bay, Mystic Aquarium, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and more. You’ll learn to integrate scientific discoveries with real-life applications that have both local and global impact.

Our community is dedicated to empowering students with the skills, knowledge, and passion to become lifelong learners prepared to thrive in this rapidly-evolving world. Join us!

Sincerely,

Jean VanderGheynst, PhD (she/her)
Dean and Professor
College of the Environment and Life Sciences

 

Mission

We strive for excellence in teaching, research and service. We prepare our students with the skills, knowledge and insight to address the challenges of today’s world and support their development as lifelong learners. We foster collaboration among our undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty in experiential learning and provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge beyond the University. We address contemporary problems through innovative, relevant and scholarly research. we extend our research based knowledge through community engagement in the tradition of our Land Grant and Sea Grant heritage and are dedicated to outreach and service to our state, national, and global community.