Antaeus: strength through contact with the earth
In Greek mythology, Antaeus was a giant and wrestler who drew his power from constant contact with the ground. He was unbeatable in single combat until Heracles realized the source of his strength, lifted him off the earth, and defeated him in midair. Our mission is to help protect modern society from a similar fate.
We use the myth as a working metaphor. Our economies have been lifted off the ground they depend on, losing sight of the value of the natural resources that sustain them. Our job is to put that value back in the ledger.
Founded at the University of Chicago
We are a group of students who believe economics and environmental science are intrinsically connected. We want to explore this connection by doing, pushing ourselves to build models, engagement, and impact at the highest standard. We wanted the freedom to choose our own questions and see them through, so we started an independent group to do it. Our backgrounds include clean energy finance, climate modeling, ecological fieldwork, venture capital, marketing, and much more.
A foundation for climate-inclusive economics
Our first project, the Cook County heat model, is a test case. If the method works there, we can apply it to other places and other climate impacts.
- Publish research rigorous enough for peer review and policy use
- Build partnerships with advisors and mission-aligned organizations to put our work into practice
- Extend the model beyond Cook County as capacity grows
Meet the team
Founded in 2026, we're students from the College and UChicago's professional schools, working across economics, environmental science, policy, and data to build quantitative models.
Gabriel Thomas
Junior · Economics & Environmental ScienceGabriel worked in venture capital and consulting in the renewable energy sector before moving into climate economics research. He currently works with Enterprise Neurosystem on an ecological analysis tool that helps value natural capital and incentivize conservation. He builds Python-based economic and climate simulation models.
Sam Straus
Master's Student · Public PolicySam leads project management and resource coordination for Antaeus, turning the group's research agenda into milestones, deliverables, and a working project structure.
Alethea Oakley
Junior · Economics, Environmental Science & Human RightsAlethea interns with Marathon Capital on clean energy financing and internal operations. She was on the winning team of UChicago's 2026 Climate Case Competition, building a plan for Illinois to reach 100% clean energy by 2045 using economic and energy consumption modeling alongside policy and equity research. She has also researched Chicago transit and vacant lots, biogeochemical cycling in the Indiana Dunes, and prediction market incentives, working in R, GIS, and Excel.
Aarini Sheth
Sophomore · Climate & Sustainable Growth, EconomicsAarini is a second-year studying Climate and Sustainable Growth and Economics. This past summer, she was a Summer Fellow with the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth and a Policy Intern in the Energy and Petrochemicals Department of the Government of Gujarat, where she compared India's renewable energy policies with a focus on green hydrogen, battery energy storage, and power distribution. She works in R and Excel on climate modeling and financial analysis.
Mateo Beauvineau
Sophomore · Molecular EngineeringAlongside his engineering studies, Mateo is interested in why economies fall out of balance with the natural systems they depend on. This summer, he interned at Clear Solar Corporation, an early-stage startup building electrodynamic dust shields to reduce solar panel soiling. He builds websites and media and has completed several entrepreneurship programs at the Polsky Center, including the Rural Innovation Challenge.
Want to follow the project or get involved?
We're looking for advisors, partner organizations, and early funding, and we'd love to hear from anyone interested in our work.