Building on the Success of YCNCC’s Founding Directors

The Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture (YCNCC), a university hub for cutting-edge research in natural carbon capture, has a new co-director. Peter Raymond, the Oastler Professor of Biogeochemistry at Yale School of the Environment (YSE), has been appointed to the position, succeeding inaugural co-director Liza Comita, the Davis-Denkmann Professor of Tropical Forest Ecology at YSE.

• Comita will conclude her current term as co-director on July 1, marking the end of her four-year tenure at the helm of the center.
• Raymond will join Dave Bercovici, the Frederick William Beinecke Professor of Geophysics in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, in leading the center’s initiatives to advance natural solutions to climate change.

A Hub for Natural Carbon Capture Research

Since its founding in 2021, the YCNCC has advanced both scientific understanding and practical approaches to carbon sequestration, including storing carbon in forests, enhancing capture in rocks and oceans, and converting CO₂ into useful materials.

Expertise and Leadership

Raymond brings extensive experience as a researcher at YSE, with over 20 years of experience in the field. His research focuses on how carbon moves through freshwater and coastal ecosystems, exploring greenhouse gas exchanges between inland waters and the atmosphere, the metabolism of aquatic ecosystems, and the effects of storms and droughts on aquatic ecology.

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to help foster innovative research to inform and advance urgently needed climate solutions,” said Comita. “It has been a privilege to work with Dave and the YCNCC team over the past four years to build up the center, and I look forward to seeing the center grow and evolve with Pete’s leadership as the new co-director.”

A Strong Commitment to Climate Change Mitigation

Raymond is a strong advocate for natural solutions to climate change, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and research in advancing the field. “Solving today’s climate challenges requires an interdisciplinary and motivated team and I look forward to working with the talented scientists and staff at YCNCC,” he said.

Leadership and Service

Raymond is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and American Geophysical Union, a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, and a past editor-in-chief of the American Geophysical Union’s journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles. He has also led YSE’s climate initiative and served on numerous university committees, including the Core Facilities Task Force and the University Instrumentation Committee.

A Message from the Vice Provost for Research

In a message to the Yale community, Crair expressed appreciation for Comita’s leadership and welcomed Raymond into his new role. “Liza and Dave have brought together researchers from Yale and beyond to tackle our most pressing environmental challenges,” he wrote. “Liza has stewarded an incredible range of research and investment, and her commitment to YCNCC has laid the foundation for its continued success.