The College of Engineering has over 70 tenured / tenure-track faculty performing research focusing on solving the most pressing local and global challenges. Their nationally and internationally recognized research expertise encompasses areas such as coastal resiliency, materials for extreme environments, nanotechnology, robotics, underwater exploration, offshore wind energy, and water reuse, among others, using an interdisciplinary and user-oriented approach to integrate the discovery of fundamental knowledge and applied research to solve societal issues.
The College of Engineering hosts three research centers funded by federal, state, and private sources and two research core facilities with more than $10M on state-of-the-art characterization and analytical capabilities.
Over the past 5 years, the College of Engineering has received 6 NSF CAREER Awards (60% of all URI NSF CAREER) and 4 ONR Young Investigator Awards. Our faculty’s research activity thrives thanks to the extensive collaboration across engineering disciplines, the university at large, government, academia, and industry worldwide.
This has resulted in a doubling of external research funding from 2016 to 2022, from $6M to $18M. A $150M investment in the Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering (opened in 2019) and the recent approval of state bond to build the new Ocean Engineering building at the Bay Campus is giving URI Engineering some of the best engineering facilities in the country.
News in Research
Department of Energy Awards URI Team Funding for Carbon Capture Analysis - Story by Krysta Murray University of Rhode Island (URI) received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy in partnership with the University of Kentucky to develop an ocean-faring electrochemical direct ocean capture system for carbon. This technology would be using renewable energy to drive a device that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from ocean water. Climate […]
Technology for NASA’s Next-Generation Telescope - University of Rhode Island Professor Sungho Kim is developing technology that could be part of NASA’s next-generation telescope that will allow the space agency to observe and study phenomena that occurred 13.7 billion years ago.
World Water Day - By Krysta Murray URI’s Water for the World Lab Works to Reach Sustainable Water Goals The United Nations has observed World Water Day annually on March 22 since 1993. It’s a global celebration of water and recognition to raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe drinking water. Every year, UN-Water, […]
Engineering Professors, Business Receive $75,000 Grant from RI Commerce Corp. - KINGSTON, R.I. – URI Engineering professors Richard Vaccaro and Musa Jouneh received a $75,000 innovation grant from RI Commerce Corporation for engineering development work with a startup company, Kinesia. The grant, which runs from January to August 2024, will pay for the creation of a prototype for an aid to human rehabilitation from orthopedic and […]