Dr. Raven is chair of the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration and he is President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the receipient of numerous prizes and awards, including Japan's International Prize for Biology, the Environmental Prize of the Institute de la Vie, the Volvo Environment Prize, the Tyler Prize for Environment Achievement, and the Sasakawa Environment Prize. He also has held Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships.

Dr. Raven received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, after completitng his undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley.