Biography

Dr. Elin Torell is the Director of the Coastal Institute at the University of Rhode Island (URI), where she has been part of the university since 2002 and assumed her leadership role at the Coastal Institute in 2022. As Director, Dr. Torell leads efforts to address environmental challenges in coastal ecosystems, focusing on enhancing the understanding of how human activity impacts the health of coastal environments and their resources.

With over 20 years of experience working globally, Dr. Torell has supported coastal communities and nations in implementing interdisciplinary, science-based strategies to sustainably manage marine resources, ensuring they support food security and economic livelihoods. In addition to her role at the Coastal Institute, she serves as a Senior Advisor at URI’s Coastal Resources Center, where she provides expertise in blue economic development, gender equity and social inclusion, population health and environment, climate resilience, fisheries value chains, adaptive management, and environmental compliance.

Dr. Torell also directs the Rhode Island Inclusive Network for Excellence in Science and Technology (RII-NEST) Project, funded by the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program, and the North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, a partnership between 10 federal and 39 non-federal organizations. She is an advisory group member for USAID’s Feed the Future Fish Innovation Lab.

Dr. Torell holds a Ph.D. in environmental studies and a Master’s degree in human and economic geography. She is an adjunct professor and graduate faculty member in URI’s Department of Marine Affairs.