Niraj Ray

Email: nray@cultivatethecity.com Tel: 516-410-2257

700 K St. NE Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20002
Education
The Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL                                                                                          Aug. 2010- Dec. 2012

Masters of Science in Integrated Environmental Science                           GPA: 4.0

Thesis: Use of a Combined Ecological-Societal Systems Model to Identify and Evaluate Potential

Risks to Whooping Crane Habitat at Mission- Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Texas, USA.

The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH                                                                                                                 Sept. 2004- Aug. 2008

Bachelor of Science with Honors                                                                     GPA: 3.47

Major: Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Minors: International Studies and Life Sciences

Stuyvesant High School, New York, NY                                                      Avg: 92                                                 Sept. 2000- June 2004

Work Experience:

Founder and CEO– Cultivate the City                                                                                                                             May 2014- Present

Created an organization dedicated to inspiring healthy and sustainable food production

empowering local communities with affordable technology and the training to do so. Responsibilities

Include product research and development, marketing, client acquisition, hiring and personnel training,

Scheduling, grant writing, purchasing, nursery and farm operations and community outreach. Network of

25+ farms include a MLB baseball stadium, retail garden center, 3 DC schools and Gallaudet University.

School Garden Coordinator – JO Wilson Elementary School                                                                                    March 2013- Feb 2018

Planned and constructed a 60 tower vertical garden system and taught students how to plant, maintain and

Harvest from these towers. Students also run a hyper-local farmers market, selling produce to make

School garden activities profitable. Other work done includes running local gardening workshops, creating

A school kitchen garden and fruit orchard, implementing a rainwater harvesting system, and conducting

Garden lessons with in coordination with current curriculum for Pre-K- 5th grade teachers and students.

Also responsible for grant writing and fund management for garden activities.

Fellow – Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education- EPA Office of Water                                                     Jan 2013- May 2014

Supported EPA’s efforts to access the condition of the nation’s coastal waters through EPA’s National

Coastal Condition Assessment, one of the National Aquatic Resource Surveys. Responsibilities included

Developing coastal resource survey designs, developing and implementing coastal indicators, evaluating

Various monitoring methodologies, implementing state-level monitoring strategies, reviewing QA/QC of

Coastal monitoring data and developing outreach materials and technical information summaries.

Intern – Environmental Protection Agency – Office of Water (OW)                                                                         June 2012- Aug 2012

Created GIS maps that display Clean Water Act, Safe Water Drinking Act, Resource Conservation and

Recovery Act and Toxic Release Inventory data and examined correlations between these and other

Land-based factors i.e. proximity to coastal drainage areas, National Estuary Programs (NEP), and

Environmental justice communities and coastal health. Also geo-tagged 300+ SP-12 (EPA Strategic Plan,

OW Performance Measure #12) success stories to make data available To NEP and OW managers.

Teaching Assistant/ Community Garden Manager – Bethune Cookman University                                             Aug 2010- May 2012

Conducted lectures, graded papers and provided academic guidance for incoming freshman. Other duties

Included supervising outdoor lab classes and maintaining the integrity of lab equipment. As community

Garden manager, responsibilities included recruiting volunteer student workers, researching and

Implementing organic sustainable agriculture techniques, garden design and maintenance, creating and

Running an educational lecture series, marketing for fundraisers and management of funds.

Research Technician – Albert Einstein College of Medicine – Morrow Lab                                                          Nov. 2008 – July 2010

Conducted genetic research investigating the role of transcriptional factors on inner ear development

Using zebrafish as a model organism.  Techniques used include microinjections, PCR, gel electrophoresis,

In situ hybridization, histology and microscopy. Other duties included all ordering of lab supplies,

Maintaining sterile lab environment, preparing solutions and managing lab website.

Other Skills:

Proficient user of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Front Page and Photoshop. Excellent troubleshooter for MS Windows, Internet Explorer, Chrome and other PC-based applications. Fluent in Gujarati, Hindi and English. Proficient in water testing, microscopy, microinjections, gel electrophoresis, in situ hybridization, histology, PCR, LOI analysis, and GIS/GPS analysis. 40-HR OSHA HAZWOPER Training, ENV SP Certified (May 2014), EPA training modules: Lean for Service and Manufacturing, Stormwater Pollution Prevention, Working Effectively with Tribal Governments and Regulatory Environmental Modeling