Raffaele is a PhD candidate at Yale University, where they focus on Environmental Sociology - the ways humans shape our environment, and in return, the way our environment shapes us.

Raffaele’s current research focuses on the interweaving threads of climate change, the unfolding of “green capitalism”, Rights of Nature or “Environmental Personhood”, and the relationships between sovereign Indigenous nations and the American state. They are currently a Research Fellow with the Yale Center for Environmental Justice, and a previous Teaching Fellow for the Yale Tribal Resources and Sovereignty Clinic.

Raffaele has completed research on behalf of, and in collaboration with, several entities focused on climate and environmental justice, including the National Indian Carbon Coalition, Navajo Power, the Yurok Tribe, and more.