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 Watershed Watch seeks volunteers to monitor ponds, streams, and coasts March 6, 2026 - URI Cooperative Extension’s Watershed Watch, which has collected water quality data throughout southern New England for more than 35 years, is seeking volunteers; training starts in April. Watershed Watch is also a national leader, connecting and training volunteer program leaders across the country.
High interest in URI’s statewide bobcat project March 6, 2026 - Public sightings pass 1,000 in statewide project that links citizen scientists with University research. URI’s researchers just passed the 1,000-sighting mark this winter, a good sign for the cat species and public interest in the animal. 
URI researcher investigates zinc mobilization in brain development March 4, 2026 - Backed by a prestigious NIH award, Assistant Professor Caitlin Murdoch’s lab is researching how zinc movement inside cells shapes brain development and behavior
Teaching Excellence Spotlight: Chris Floyd February 27, 2026 - Natural resources science teaching professor Chris Floyd is among the adventurous, devoted, and innovative faculty here at URI who provide immersive experiences to their students both inside and outside the classroom.
