Climate Pathfinders: Tyler Ratcliffe brings the energy
Junior Tyler Ratcliffe is powering up for the energy transition through student leadership
By Kirsten Khire
Leadership takes energy. In Duke junior Tyler Ratcliffe’s case, leadership is in energy, the field that powers our world.
“I’m an energy evangelist. Energy is the great challenge of our lifetime,” he said.
Ratcliffe has led multiple efforts to showcase to his fellow students that there are more career options to contribute to climate and sustainability than they might expect.
“The energy and climate ventures and entrepreneurship community at Duke is vibrant and growing, and I want more students to know about opportunities to get involved,” he said. “Energy is a choose your own adventure path. Everyone I have met shares a passion for doing something meaningful.”
In November, he became the first undergraduate co-chair of Energy Week with Madeleine Fox, a master of public policy student.
For almost a decade, graduate students have served as co-chairs of this campus-wide effort, which includes a conference, case competition and abundant speakers. Ratcliffe was the first undergraduate leader.
“This signature event brings together students from across the university, giving us the opportunity to learn from each other and expand our perspectives. Our entire student team worked closely and built friendships that will extend beyond graduation, plus the networking with professionals in our field led to new interactions and opportunities,” said Ratcliffe, who is studying economics and environmental science with a focus in renewables and energy transition.
Ratcliffe’s leadership didn’t stop there this fall. He also co-designed and led a house course on “Energy and Climate Venture Investing,” with faculty adviser Brian Murray.
The idea took root during summer 2023 where he met Daniel Ketyer ‘16, a principal at Riverview Climate Ventures who founded the Duke Energy Club.
“I told Daniel that I thought students want to know more about the energy and meet more Duke alumni in the field. I said, ‘What if we organized something?’ We met for a year and moved the idea forward,” Ratcliffe said.
Ratcliffe partnered with Ketyer and fellow students Mudit Agrawal and Abby Finkle to build and offer the course. Students from diverse majors and class years learned directly from 18 guest speakers across the energy and climate investing and entrepreneurial ecosystem, culminating in six “investment committee” pitches from students to 10 industry judges.
“I think the initiative that Tyler took to not just get the course approved, but then to see it through successfully is something that stood out. If there was one standout moment it was that first meeting at the Piva office in summer 2023, where it was clear that Tyler was not there to look for a job, but he wanted to add meaningful value to the student experience,” Ketyer said.
Not only do Ratcliffe and Ketyer share a passion for energy and leadership, they also both have connections to San Francisco, where Ratcliffe’s passion for energy began.
“I was interested in climate, being from the Bay Area. I took a class in high school that inspired me. Then, as a freshman at Duke, I took courses on the ‘History of Energy’ and ‘Energy Policy for a Changing World’ with faculty Brian Murray and Bryan Koen. I saw that energy has shaped our world and progress. I was sold on energy, and I haven’t looked past since,” he said.
“Tyler is a very impressive student,” said Brian Murray, director of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. ”That was clear from day one. But what sets him apart is the generosity of his ambition. He wants to learn as much as he can about the energy system while he’s at Duke, but it’s equally important to him that his peers gain the same knowledge. He has sought out collaborators and leveraged leadership roles to evangelize for his interests and create an impressive array of learning opportunities related to them. I watched him lead discussion several times during the Energy and Climate Venture Investing course. He’s a born teacher and mentor to others.”
This spring, Ratcliffe’s leadership journey continues at the “From Billions to Trillions” summit at Duke, which brings together leaders from across the global financial sector to exchange ideas. Ratcliffe plans to host a student-alumni event around the summit and continue to share energy information.
“It’s a great challenge to get people interested in energy. Students often feel locked into career paths. But there are so many career options in the energy field. As a student, I can’t get money to advance the energy transition; what I can do is connect people,” he said.
