Austin is a journalist covering water, energy, space, and politics. He has worked for the Aspen Daily News and the Arizona Republic, and he's published freelance work in publications like High Country News and the Daily Yonder. He received his bachelor’s degree in international relations with a minor in Arabic language from Georgetown in 2020. Austin grew up in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, where he spent his childhood rafting desert rivers, skiing, and building a love of nature.