Raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Russell Beaumont studied architecture and Plan II Liberal Arts Honors at the University of Texas at Austin. During his studies he focused on disaster relief architecture and spent 12 months living in South America researching how communities recovered from the 2010 earthquake and tsunami in Chile. After graduating he received the Oglesby Traveling Fellowship to research vernacular building traditions in Peru and Chile in the context of post-disaster reconstruction. He plans to study Urban Design and International Development to prepare for a career in relief and recovery for communities affected by conflict and natural disasters.