During his years in Kenya, Rayner received little schooling, but with the help of his sister learned the rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic.
and Ph.D. degrees in Natural Sciences at King's College, Cambridge, and was a reader in biology at the University of Bath from 1985 to 2011.
He has been a BP Venture Research Fellow and a Visiting Miller Professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 2006 and 2007, he hosted "Unhooked Thinking" part I and II, which examined various aspects of addiction.
Since 2001, Rayner has been actively involved in developing his concept of "natural inclusionality", a philosophical approach to sustainability.