Dr. Chima McGruder

I have over ten years of professional training as a scientist, software developer, data analyst, and educator. This training started in astrophysics, where I obtained my BSc in physics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), followed by Masters and PhD (see Thesis) in astrophysics at Harvard. While receiving my education, I also gained professional experience when I worked at the Space Telescope Science Institute and the Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) during my undergrad. In graduate school, I worked as a research assistant at Harvard, and directly after graduation, I was a post-doctoral fellow at the CfA. Additionally, I obtained plenty of experience as an educator as I was a teaching fellow and tutor since my sophomore year of undergraduate school and continued this during my Masters and PhD.

Throughout this path, my drive has always been to impact humanity positively. While understanding the universe around us and our place in it is a fundamental part of being human, it has become clear to me that the current climate crisis needs many technical scientists to help mitigate the worst effects. Toward that end, I am shifting my focus on the best ways to address this crisis. The technical skills I’ve obtained (see "Research skills" and "Software Product" pages) can seamlessly transfer to this space, but to make the process even smoother, I was a Climatebase Cohort 5 Fellow. This fellowship provided educational knowledge in the climate sector, presented talks and coaching from 100+ experts in the field, connected me with hundreds of climate-oriented professionals, and allowed me to work on climate projects with people having varying backgrounds and expertise.

Currently, I work as an Indigo Research mentor, helping students develop climate projects that range from marine biology to long-haul freight optimization projects. However, I want to delve even deeper into the climate space. My ideal position would either be in grid conversion or the agricultural sector. I think these sectors are the most important to improve and decarbonize. The energy sector influences most other sectors, so decarbonizing our energy sources can lead to a domino effect of decarbonizing other sectors. Additionally, energy availability is strongly correlated to societal development. The agricultural sector has a similar fundamental impact on society; everyone has to eat. There are so many climate-forward improvements to this sector that just need more people committed to them. For example, reducing food waste and propagating sustainable farming practices would be huge in reducing agricultural emissions. On the "Ideal Careers" page, I provided more detail on how I can contribute to those spaces.

Lastly, I know that climate change disproportionately impacts underrepresented groups, and I have a strong desire to not only combat this disproportionate consequence but also empower people of such groups. This is why I have done a wide variety of outreach and community development programs focused on underrepresented groups (see "Outreach" page). So, I strive to improve the climate and living conditions of ALL people.