Cody was co-advised by Larissa and Steve Voelker for his MS degree. Prior to graduate school, Cody conducted research in microbial ecology and earned his BS degree in Biology from the University of Utah. His project was supported by the Save the Redwoods League and focused on the physiological response that coast redwoods had to the construction of Highway 101 in the 1950’s and the prevalence of crown deterioration throughout Humboldt Redwood State Park. He finished his thesis in 2020 and went on to a job at RedCastle Resources.