The Wild Energy Initiative was conceived in 2016 by the founders, ecologists Dr. Rebecca R. Hernandez and Dr. Steve M. Grodsky, and launched in 2019. Today, they are working together to build a confluence of research addressing what they believe is the greatest challenge facing society, which is how to meet energy needs for humans while maintaining Earth’s ecosystems that humans depend on. They believe that the sum of a diverse team is greater than its parts.

DR. REBECCA R. HERNANDEZ

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF LAND, AIR AND WATER RESOURCES

Dr. Rebecca R. Hernandez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources. Dr. Hernandez earned her Ph.D. in Earth System Science from Stanford University. Her research expertise is in understanding ecological benefits and impacts of energy systems. Her work on interactions among energy, land, and the environment have been featured in Nature Climate Change, Nature Sustainability, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Environmental Science & Technology, and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Her research has been featured in Bloomberg Business, National Geographic, NPR, PBS, Scientific American, and the Washington Post, among other news outlets.

DR. STEVEN M. GRODSKY

ASSISTANT RESEARCH ECOLOGIST, DEPARTMENT OF LAND, AIR AND WATER RESOURCES

Dr. Steven Grodsky is Assistant Research Ecologist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at the University of California – Davis. Steve’s research centers on the interface between renewable energy development and wildlife conservation. He currently is co-editor of a book entitled “Renewable Energy and Wildlife Conservation” under contract with John Hopkins University Press. He earned his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University, MS from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and BS from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.