Dr. Tombes speaking at the grand opening of the VCU Rice Rivers Center Research Facility

VCU's River Campus

The VCU Rice Rivers Center, VCU's river campus, supports scholarship and student instruction across diverse disciplines, including water resources, climate science, wildlife conservation and wetlands restoration.

Located midway between Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia along the historic James River, our 360 acres of riparian marshes, tidal creeks and mature forests represent a unique outdoor laboratory for important applied research and innovative, experiential classes. The center’s modern facilities offer offices, classrooms, laboratories and overnight lodging for students, faculty, visiting scholars and community groups. State-of-the-art technologies are deployed onsite to collect information on air and water quality, fish and avian migrations, changing sea levels and a host of other critical data sources. Our ongoing partnerships with state and federal natural resource and earth science agencies provide significant training opportunities for student scholars.

News & Events

News

Rayan Ibrahim

July 16, 2026

Department of Mathematics and Statistics doctoral alum teaches the next generation of mathematicians

Rayan Ibrahim, Ph.D. (M.S.’21, Ph.D.’24), shares his passion for numbers and research with his students at Lafayette College

At a recent event at VCU, Melissa Holds the Enemy, chief justice for the Upper Mattaponi, said, “We are reclaiming and strengthening what has already belonged to us.” (Jake Burns, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

July 15, 2026

Summit explores judicial aspects of Virginia’s tribal nations

The Upper Mattaponi Tribe and VCU’s Humanities Research Center collaborate on the second annual gathering.

Dalton Echard

July 14, 2026

Compound Interest: Physics masters alum brings technical expertise to nanoscience sales

Dalton Echard (M.S.’16) shows there are many industry paths to utilize a physics education

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