MESM 2024
Pronouns: he/him
Bio
Raymond Hunter graduated cum laude from the University of California, Santa Cruz (2020) with degrees in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (B.S.) and Environmental Studies (B.A.). His interest in climate change started here after researching the destructive ecological impacts of wildfires in benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) communities in Big Sur, CA. After graduation, his love for science, backpacking, and rock climbing led him to the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory in Mammoth Lakes, CA where he examined the anthropogenic repercussions of long-term drought in aquatic alpine BMI communities. He then worked in biological consulting and environmental non-profits which further added to his understanding of how our carbon footprint affects the natural world around us. Studying the harsh ecological consequences of climate change in his most beloved places motivated him to return to school where he can explore the dynamic relationship between energy usage and global warming. Through the Climate and Energy specialization at Bren, he looks at how we can effectively cut our carbon emissions to pre-industrial revolution levels over the next few decades. He plans to develop new and innovative technologies that transition our fossil fuel society into a carbon neutral one.