The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory had its early beginnings in 1951 when the late Dr. Eugene Odum, a professor of ecology at UGA known as the “father of modern ecology,” received an invitation from the Atomic Energy Commission to conduct biological inventories of what was then known as the Savannah River Plant, before site operations began.

SREL is supported largely by external funding. Major sources include DOE Environmental Management, DOE-NNSA, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Army, National Park Service, National Science Foundation, Augusta-Richmond County Consolidated Government, and the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program.