Research

Our main focus is research — specifically, rivers and their fringing wetland landscapes. At the heart of this work is the broad and scenic James River.

The leading mission of the Rice Center is to support research activities that advance our knowledge of the environmental and ecological sciences. The center provides a site for VCU researchers and scientists from other institutions and agencies to conduct research on a wide variety of topics. 

Much of our research is focused on large river ecosystems, their riparian habitats and associated wetlands. It includes studies on wetlands restoration, anadromous fishes, nutrient dynamics and the role of plankton in the food chains of the James River, the ecology of the freshwater tidal creeks along the river and waterborne public health issues.

The center also provides opportunities for research on terrestrial plant and animal communities, such as a long-term study of the breeding biology of Prothonotary Warblers, an analysis of gene dispersal in plant communities and the ecology of amphibians in vernal ponds.