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 Landscape Architecture student designs combine beauty, fun, and resilience for Middletown area May 12, 2026 - Student-led redesigns aim to turn Easton’s Pond shoreline into accessible, environmentally resilient public space
URI Leads Hands-On Biotechnology Program for High School Students May 11, 2026 - With support from the Amgen Foundation, URI delivers hands-on biotechnology labs to high school classrooms across Rhode Island, connecting students to real-world science and career pathways.
URI master’s student Emilio Pedroza Lopez earns prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship May 8, 2026 - Emilio Pedroza Lopez’s NSF-funded research examines how social dynamics influence movement, resources, and survival in degus, a small rodent native to Chile
Animal Science Graduate Paige Caron Prepares for Veterinary School in Grenada May 7, 2026 - Through hands-on learning, leadership, and farmwork at URI, animal science major Paige Caron ‘26 discovered her passion for large animal veterinary medicine and will now pursue Doctor of Veterinary Studies in Grenada.
