Rachel Young, Breakthrough Generation Alumni of 2010, is a Ph.D. student at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) program. Her research intersects climate science and economics to understand the effect of climate-related disasters on the economy. Rachel’s recent work examines the long-run impact of hurricanes on labor and health outcomes. Before starting at Princeton, Rachel was a full-time research assistant for Prof. Jesse Rothstein (Economics and Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley) at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, where she helped study the effects of graduating during the recession on long-run earnings and employment.

Rachel also worked as a policy analyst for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, in Washington D.C., where she evaluated national energy efficiency legislation. During her college years Rachel worked as a climate activist with the Sierra Student Coalition and Avaaz.org. Rachel holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Lewis & Clark College.