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
World Soil Day Spotlight: Patrick Sorensen on the Critical Role of Soil Microorganisms December 1, 2025 - World Soil Day highlights the essential role soil plays in sustaining life. URI’s Patrick Sorensen is dedicated to understanding the microorganisms that make it all work. Through cutting-edge research on soil microbial diversity and function, he reveals how unseen organisms protect water and air quality, maintain the resources we depend on, and more.
Poinsettias in bloom December 1, 2025 - URI students are growing poinsettias, one of the most economically important holiday crops, in Camilo Villouta’s “Horticultural Plant Production” course. Managing the plants’ complex temperature, nutrition, and timing requirements builds essential skills for careers in agriculture. Read more. 
Shaping the Future of CELS: Jean VanderGheynst’s Commitment to Students, Interdisciplinary Research, and Community Impact November 25, 2025 - Dean Jean VanderGheynst brings a deep commitment to collaboration, mission-oriented research, and student success to her new role leading URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences. Building on the college’s strong foundation of experiential learning and environmental stewardship, she aims to position CELS as a leader in both research innovation and community impact.
Colonial gardens around us: URI Master Gardeners nurture history and plant-based lessons November 24, 2025 - More than 800 Master Gardener volunteers serve as community-based educators across the state, including some at historical sites where they help give visitors a view of how early residents employed agricultural methods that are still applicable today.
