Roger K. Raufer, Gr’84, an adjunct professor of city & regional planning in Penn’s School of Design (now the Weitzman School) and a lecturer in other departments around the University, including in computing, materials science & engineering, and legal studies & business ethics, died on August 2 after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 75. 

Dr. Raufer earned a BS in chemical engineering from the Ohio University in 1971, then earned an MS in environmental engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1974, an MA in political science from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1980, and a PhD in energy management & policy from Penn in 1984. At Penn, he wrote one of the earliest doctoral dissertations about emissions trading, a field that formed the basis of his career. 

From 1974 to 1981, Dr. Raufer was the manager of environmental services at ETA Engineering, Inc., in Westmont, Illinois, then came east to serve as vice president of environmental services at PMC, Inc. in Philadelphia. In 1990, he founded Raufer & Co, an independent consulting company based in the U.S. and Hong Kong. Under the auspices of Raufer & Co., he was an environmental project consultant for the U.N. & World Bank project and for other initiatives relating to air pollution policy, acid rain, and power plants. 

During his five-decade career, Dr. Raufer blended his engineering expertise with policy insight to address energy and environmental challenges across the globe. He played key roles in developing pollution control strategies, including emissions trading systems that influenced the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. He authored two books about the role of emissions trading in environmental management, as well as numerous other peer-reviewed publications.

In addition to his consulting, Dr. Raufer held several academic positions, including at Penn. From 1984 to 2014, he served as an adjunct profes-sor of city and regional planning in the School of Design and as a lecturer in computing (School of Arts & Sciences and the College of Liberal & Professional Studies), materials science and engineering (School of Engineering & Applied Science), and legal studies and business ethics (Wharton School).

He was also a visiting professor at the Institut Français du Pétrole Energies Nouvelles in Rueil-Malmaison, France and taught in the General Electric “Oil & Gas University” in Italy, Adu Dhabi, and Indonesia; the University of the West Indies in Jamaica; and various World Bank and UN training programs. 

“To his students, hundreds of whom he kept in correspondence with, Professor Raufer was a supportive mentor and beloved teacher,” said Dr. Raufer’s family. “He was kind, funny, smart, and generous with his time and expertise.” 

Dr. Raufer was predeceased by his wife, Nicki. He is survived by his three daughters, Lisa Capasso (Armando); Jessica Travis (John Paul); Sarah Raufer; five grandchildren; and eight of his ten siblings.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Environmental Defense Fund, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, or your environmental charity of choice.