Tyler was born and raised in Rochester, MN, and received his BA in mathematics and religion from Luther College in Decorah, IA.  After spending two years as an environmental activist in Chicago, IL, he decided to pursue graduate studies in economics, focusing on political economy of the environment.  Tyler is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the economics department and research assistant at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at UMass Amherst.  He has co-authored research papers that assess the viability of the fossil fuel divestment movement, and analyze co-pollutant emissions in the U.S. electric power generation sector.  He also co-authored a report delineating a green growth and just transition program for Colorado.