GIS alumni make waves

From the very start, sustainability has been interdisciplinary, not fitting neatly into any one discipline. Sustainability draws on chemistry, engineering, and biology as much as it does technological innovation and policymaking.

The people who choose to study at RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) reflect this diversity of backgrounds and interests.

Read on to meet four GIS alumni who exemplify this diversity of our educational approach. 

Leader followed a childhood passion for both the environment and engineering to Sustainability Institute Hall, enrolling in a doctoral program in 2016. Leader says she was drawn to the GIS program because it offered “the full spectrum of sustainability and a focus on collaboration.”

It didn’t take Leader long to begin her career after graduation—she accepted a role at the New York Power Authority (NYPA) just before she formally defended her doctoral dissertation. Today, Leader is a sustainability program manager at NYPA. Leader works to spearhead supply chain sustainability and waste management initiatives, considering both the upstream and downstream impacts of NYPA’s operations. She focuses on enhancing the sustainability of NYPA’s supply chain, ensuring that procurement and sourcing practices align with the Authority’s goals. On the downstream side, she utilizes circular economy strategies to ensure that waste is prevented and materials are reused, recycled, or disposed of responsibly.

At the end of the day, Leader says some of her most impactful work occurs in the role she plays in supporting development and implementation of NYS policy and guidance related to sustainability. This involves collaborating with stakeholders statewide to develop both targets and resources that support the state’s decarbonization and sustainable operations. Through this work, Leader is not only driving sustainability within NYPA but is also playing a crucial role in advancing the state's ambitious environmental goals.

"I’m less about making something beautiful and more about making it work—figuring out which pieces fit together and how to make them function as a whole."

Lambert, a Miami, Florida native, spent several years as a designer, both at Apple and as a freelancer, until a few crucial projects on recycling materials sparked a passion for the environment, leading her to the architecture master’s program in 2011.

Says Lambert about the uniqueness of RIT’s architecture program, “there is no compromise for design over sustainability; these are integrated. It’s a full systems-thinking approach and it’s a great privilege to be able to think in that way. My career goal is to help elevate and bring other people along in that process, because I have seen firsthand how valuable those things are together.”

After earning her degree in 2014, Lambert embarked on her career, notably serving as a sustainability consultant at various firms in the Washington D.C. area, before moving out west to Phoenix, Arizona. She currently serves as the director of sustainable practices at Rowan Digital Infrastructure, a company which aligns with her vision of developing environmentally conscious design and construction practices, minimizing ecological impact for data center campuses, crucial in a world increasingly reliant on tech.

"I know that students trained in the program bring both the quantitative and qualitative skills we need—along with the systems-level thinking that makes them successful here at MIT. It’s a place full of specialists, and GIS grads know how to connect the dots across disciplines and dive right in.”

Moore’s journey began with a spark in high school—a documentary on electric vehicles planted the seed—and grew into a lifelong pursuit of understanding complex environmental challenges. After earning her undergraduate degree in integrated science and technology from James Madison University, Moore worked on applied research projects, including one with a local brewery that combined water quality testing with community interviews. That early blend of science and real-world application led her straight into graduate studies at the GIS program, where she honed her interdisciplinary research skills.

Says Moore of her GIS experience, “It trained me to be a systems thinker. I learned how to speak to CEOs and kindergartners in the same week—about the same topic—and that kind of communication is critical to driving real-world change.”

Since earning her degree, Moore has advanced from postdoc to research scientist and now serves as a program manager at MIT, where she oversees research focused on industrial decarbonization in heavy industries like cement and mining. She’s played a key role in national conversations around sustainability policy, including recent meetings with White House officials and lawmakers, advocating for more comprehensive, life cycle-based approaches to green infrastructure.

Her current work blends rigorous data analysis with policy and community engagement—building bridges between academia, government, and industry to accelerate solutions for a sustainable future.

"I’m motivated by the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution, even if it’s just a small grain of sand in a larger process.”

Hernandez-Charpak’s journey began with a deep curiosity for the intersection of engineering and social impact. Growing up in Colombia, he was keenly aware of the social and environmental challenges his country faced, and this awareness shaped his path. After earning his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and physics, along with a history minor from Los Andes University in Bogotá, he went on to pursue his Ph.D. at GIS.

Hernandez-Charpak’s Ph.D. research focused on sustainable agriculture, specifically sustainable mulching films. By producing his samples using industrial-grade instruments, he aimed to fast-track their adoption. His interests also extend to biochar production, its characterization, and the techno-economic analysis of these technologies at various scales.

Reflecting on his experience in the GIS program, Hernandez-Charpak shares, “RIT’s approach to sustainability was exactly what I was looking for. The technical skills I developed were grounded in real-world applications. My work wasn’t just about theory—it was about creating solutions that could be directly implemented to improve people’s lives.”

After completing his Ph.D., Hernandez-Charpak co-founded Cinterest, a product development company focused on researching and developing low-embodied carbon industrial products, including sustainable plastics and construction materials. He continues to work on innovative sustainability solutions, believing that engineering should not only address technical problems but also social needs.