Ethan J. Raker

Ethan J. Raker is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia, located in the Faculty of Arts and the Department of Sociology. He is a social demographer whose research sits at the intersection of environmental sociology, medical sociology, and social stratification, with a particular focus on the health and demographic consequences of climate-related disasters.

Education

• Ph.D. in Sociology, Harvard University
• A.M. in Sociology, Harvard University
• B.A. in Sociology, Columbia University

Research Interests

Dr. Raker specializes in understanding how extreme weather events—such as floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and tornadoes—affect population health and community well-being. Central to his work is the examination of social inequalities across racial and socioeconomic lines in the context of climate change. He integrates novel data sources (e.g., administrative records, spatial datasets, longitudinal surveys) and applies advanced quantitative methods to produce rigorous empirical evidence on disaster impacts. His scholarship contributes to three primary subfields: sociology of health, sociology of population, and environmental sociology.

Recent Publication Trends

Across his most recent work (2019–2025), Dr. Raker has emphasized longitudinal analyses of disaster effects on mental and physical health, housing stability, and community recovery. His 2025 articles focus on flood-related health risks in British Columbia and Houston, while earlier work dissects policy feedbacks of federal disaster aid and intergenerational health consequences of events such as Hurricane Katrina. Collectively, his publications highlight the persistent and stratified impacts of environmental shocks on marginalized populations.

Awards & Honors

• Ana Aguado Prize (Harvard Environmental Economics Program)
• Best Student Paper Award, Political Sociology Section (American Sociological Association)

Collaboration & Mentorship

Dr. Raker is an active member of the Centre for Climate Justice Research and is explicitly available for collaborations, including cluster grants and interdisciplinary projects. He welcomes inquiries from prospective Master’s and PhD students in Sociology and expresses interest in supervising undergraduate research projects. His supervision enquiry portal is open, and he is listed as a member of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) network at UBC.

Labs & Teams

While no named laboratory is explicitly listed, Dr. Raker’s affiliation with the Centre for Climate Justice Research indicates collaborative engagement with a multidisciplinary network of scholars focused on climate equity and policy solutions.