Funding supports Ying Zhang\u2019s project to advance wetland resilience across U.S. coastal systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 September 1, 2026 \u2013 Ying Zhang<\/a>, professor of cell and molecular biology at the University of Rhode Island, recently received a $4 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation<\/a> to co-lead a collaboration with Louisiana State University to improve coastal wetland management in both states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A computational biologist, Zhang, of South Kingstown, brings to the project a background that includes computer science and expertise in microbial diversity and molecular ecology. Now she\u2019ll bring that interdisciplinary background to lead this new project at URI, with Hui Zhou<\/a> in URI\u2019s Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Erin Peck<\/a> in URI\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography, and colleagues at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and Roger Williams University School of Law. Zhang\u2019s diverse training gives her a unique perspective on solving problems across traditional disciplinary boundaries, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n