Bio


Dr. Wray is the Director of CIRCLE at Stanford Psychiatry, a research and action initiative focused on Community-minded Interventions for Resilience, Climate Leadership and Emotional wellbeing in the Stanford School of Medicine. Before this she was a Human and Planetary Health Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Her research focuses on the mental health impacts of climate change on young people ('emerging adults') and frontline community members, community-minded psychosocial support interventions, and public engagement for improved mental and planetary health. She is the author of two books; her latest Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety, is an impassioned generational perspective on how to stay sane amid climate disruption and was a finalist for the 2022 Governor General’s Award. She is the recipient of the 2023 Canadian Eco-Hero Award and top award winner of the National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications, given by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Her first book is Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics and Risks of De-Extinction (Greystone Books 2017) and was named a "best book of the year" by The New Yorker. Dr Wray holds a PhD in Science Communication from the University of Copenhagen. She has hosted and produced several science radio programs, podcasts and television programs for international broadcasters including the BBC and CBC, and she has spoken at TED and the World Economic Forum. She is the Founder of Gen Dread (gendread.substack.com), a newsletter about building courage and taking meaningful action on the far side of climate grief.

Academic Appointments


  • Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Honors & Awards


  • SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2016-2018)
  • Human and Planetary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, Woods Institute for the Environment; LSHTM (2021-2023)
  • Finalist, Governor General's Award (2022)
  • SEED Grant, Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health (2022)
  • Canadian Eco-Hero Award, Planet in Focus (2023)
  • Top Award Winner, Excellence in Science Communications, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and Schmidt Futures (2023)
  • Winner for Best Editorial Research, Canadian Screen Awards (2023)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations


  • Global Health Faculty Fellow, Stanford University (2023 - Present)
  • Global Health Postdoctoral Affiliate, Stanford University (2022 - Present)
  • Member, Eco-anxiety and Climate Emotions Research Group (2021 - Present)
  • Member, MHPSS and Climate Crisis Working Group (2021 - Present)
  • Member, Social Climate Leadership Group (2021 - Present)
  • Advisor, Good Energy Project - Climate Storytelling Playbook (2021 - Present)
  • Advisor, Climate Mental Health Network (2021 - Present)
  • Advisor, Curie Society, MIT Press (2019 - 2021)
  • Advisor, Climate Cares, Imperial College London (2020 - Present)

Professional Education


  • BSc. (Hon), Queen's University, Biology (2008)
  • MA, OCAD University, Art, Media and Design (2012)
  • PhD, University of Copenhagen, Science Communication (2018)