URI Marine Biology Program

Welcome

The Marine Biology Program involves over 300 students in the B.S. Marine Biology degree program, which is administered by the Department of Biological Sciences. Most of our students are from out-of-state – from 20 states (including Florida, Texas, California, and Hawaii) each year, and some have been from around the world (Germany, Phillipines, India, Netherlands, Mexico, China) see freshman class profiles. The curriculum for the BS in Marine Biology is designed for students who plan to work in marine biology, marine ecology, biological oceanography, marine conservation, marine education, or related fields at a professional level, and those who wish to apply their training to a wide range of other exciting careers. The program allows students to explore the vast world of marine biology while providing an important foundation in modern biological sciences, chemistry, math, physics, and oceanography. A dozen new faculty have been hired in Marine Biology (in CELS) or Biological Oceanography (in GSO) in the past several years providing students with enhanced opportunities to take a wide diversity of courses and to do research in many cutting-edge areas of marine biology and biological oceanography. We encourage an interdisciplinary approach that could include study in other marine-related areas, such as Aquaculture and Fisheries, Geology and Geological Oceanography, Marine Affairs, Marine Environmental Economics, Marine Archaeology, History and Literature, Ocean Engineering, and/or involvement in URI’s Honors Program. Students majoring in marine biology may also choose to complete a minor or double major in one of these areas (or others), depending on their interests. Other students with an interest in Marine Biology may pursue a BS in Biological Sciences or a BA in Biology (with appropriate marine-related courses), or may complete a Minor in Marine Biology.

Attention Marine Biology Alumni: If you want to continue to receive emails via our Marine Biology Google Group, you must provide a non-URI email address to us because all “my.uri.edu” accounts are being deleted. Send your information to us at: urimbio@etal.uri.edu ASAP.

NEW! – URI Marine Biology featured in TheCollegeTour.com

A Sea of Opportunities_2023 (Welcome Day Presentation)

Congratulations & Announcements

Congratulations to Matthew Brander (MBio 2024) who received the URI Academic Excellence Award in Marine Biology. He was a recipient of the NOAA Hollings Scholarship and will be studying the evolution of South American freshwater fishes at University of Louisiana-Lafayette in the Fall.
Congratulations to Mary Brantley (MBio ’26), Grace Dandeneau (MBio andAnimal Science ’26), Alec Duffy (MBio ’26), Grace First (MBio ’26), Nicole Kobasa (MBio ’26) and Brooklyn Mitchell (MBio and Wildlife and Conservation Biology ’26) who have been awarded 2024 NOAA Hollings Scholarships. URI had more recipients than any other institution in the country. This brings the total of URI student to be awarded this nationally competitive scholarship to 48, with between 1 and 8 recipients each year for the past 16 years!
Annual reunion w/URI Marine Biology student & alums working in Woods Hole – (left to right) Matt Brander (MBio ’24, NOAA Hollings Intern, NMFS), Emily Greenhalgh (MBio ’08, MBL Sci. Comm.), Dr. Webb (MBL Whitman Center Affiliate), Sarah Merolla (MBio ’14, MBL Ecosystems Center Tech), Sara Shapiro (MBio ’15, WHOI Research Tech)
Congratulations to Willow Dunster (MBio 2023) who received the URI Academic Excellence Award in Marine Biology. She also received Honorable Mention for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP).
Congratulations to Owen Fleischer (MBio 2025 and Aquaculture and Fisheries Science) has been awarded a 2023 NOAA Hollings Scholarship. He is the 42nd URI student to be awarded this nationally competitive scholarship and he continues our streak – with at least one URI Hollings Scholarship recipient each year for the past 15 years! Read Press Release here.
Alyssa Lopez (MBio 2020, Academic Excellence Award winner) has been awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Alyssa has been a fisheries observer in the Pacific since graduating from URI.
Dr. Ben Negrete (MBio 2012, Academic Excellence Award winner) completed his PhD at U. Texas (as a NSF Graduate Research Fellow) and has been awarded a NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology to study fish physiology at University of British Columbia.
URI alum Peg Brady (BS ’77 Natural Resources Management & Policy, MS ’82 Botany), Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries’ Ecosystem and Habitat Science Programs gave the second Annual Stan Cobb Marine Biology Lecture in November 2022, for an audience of students, faculty, and alumni, in person and via Zoom. Photo: CELS faculty reunion with Peg – Dr. Burroughs (MAF), Peg Brady, Dr. Goldsmith (BIO, ret.), Dr. Miranda (GSO, ret.), Dr. Bengtson (FAVS, ret.)
EIGHT (!) URI Sophomores (our largest cohort, which makes URI #1 in the country), all CELS students, including 7 Marine Biology majors, have been awarded the 2022 NOAA Hollings Scholarship. They are: Matthew Brander (MBio and Aquaculture and Fisheries
Science), Taya Clements (MBio), Kara James (MBio), Ellie Madigan (MBio and WCB), Zoe Scipioni (MBio and WCB), Maricarmen Serna (MBio and ENRE), Alexandra Sinno (MBio),and Molly Halla (GEO).
Congratulations to Myles Wagner (MBio and CMB), recipient of the 2022 Academic Excellence Award in Marine Biology.
Dario Castillo (MBio Class of 2022) – was awarded a position as one of the first four National Geographic STEM Field Assistants to work with Dr. Bradley Wetherbee. The NatGeo program aims to provide support to students from under-represented groups interested in earning advanced degrees in the STEM disciplines. Click here for a recent article about Dario.
Callie Veelenturf (MBio Class of 2014) gave the first Annual Stan Cobb Marine Biology Lecture entitled “Saving the Planet: One Sea Turtle at a Time”. More than 80 alumni, faculty, staff and friends attended in person or virtually. Callie demonstrated how undergraduate research coupled with passion, persistence and a positive attitude can evolve into a career that reaches across borders to make a significant difference in marine conservation. For information about Callie’s non-profit organization, The Leatherback Project, click HERE
Sarah O’Sullivan (MBio Class of 2021) was featured in TheCollegeTour!!
Congratulations to Bethany Deloof (MBio Class of 2021; double major in Writing and Rhetoric) winner of this year’s University of Rhode Island Writing Award for Science (undergraduate category).
Congratulations to Allison Gallagher (MBio Class of 2021), winner of the Academic Excellence Award in Marine Biology.
SIX (!) MBio alums are currently working in Woods Hole! Sara Shapiro (MBio Class of 2019) and Dave Bailey (MBio Class of 2008) are working at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Ana McMenamin (MBio Class of 2020), Anna Byczynski (MBio Class of 2020), Danielle Jordan (MBio Class of 2020), Emily Greenhalgh (MBio Class of 2008) are all working at Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL).
Congratulations to URI’s FOUR new NOAA Hollings Scholarship recipients – Rosie Bailey (MBio class of 2023), Emily Drappeau (MBio class of 2023), Eliza Taylor (OCE class of 2023), Sebastian Murray-Brown (MAF/ENRE Class of 2023). This is our second largest cohort of Hollings recipients. A total of 33 URI students have been awarded this prestigious, nationally competitive scholarship, with 1 – 6 awards made to URI students in each of the past 13 years.
Congratulations to Gabby Pantoni (MBio Class of 2020) who won the President’s award for best undergrad presentation at the 2021 Northeast Algal Society (@NEAS_algae) conference.
Myles Wagner (MBio class of 2022) has been awarded a prestigious, nationally competitive Goldwater Scholarship. He was also a recipient of the NOAA Hollings Scholarship in 2020.
For older news, see the Kudos and Congratulations page.

Photo Credits throughout the Marine Biology website: Drs. Jacqueline Webb, Brad Seibel, Carol Thornber, Ms. Jillian Hesse (Class of ’07), Ms. Sara MacSorley (Class of ’08), Ms. Emily Field (Class of ’09)