Patricia Gober

Patricia Gober is a Research Professor at Arizona State University (ASU), affiliated with the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and the Water Institute. As founding co-director of the National Science Foundation's Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC), she focuses on water management decisions under climatic uncertainty in Greater Phoenix. She has held leadership roles, including past president of the Association of American Geographers and member of NOAA's Science Advisory Board. Her research integrates socio-hydrology, urban climate adaptation, and decision-making frameworks under uncertainty.

Education: Ph.D. in Geography (The Ohio State University, 1975), M.A. in Geography (OSU, 1972), B.S. in Geography (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 1970). She earned an honorary doctorate from Carthage College (2006) and is a AAAS Fellow (2009).

Research Interests: Water resource management, decision-making under uncertainty, urban climate adaptation, sustainability science, and socio-hydrological systems. Her work emphasizes transdisciplinary approaches to address water security, climate resilience, and policy challenges in arid regions.

Awards: AAG Presidential Achievement Award (2011), ASU Faculty Research Achievement Award (2009), Prince Sultan Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (2008). She has received grants from NSF, NOAA, and others for projects like DCDC and urban sustainability initiatives.

Service: Extensive roles in academia and policy, including boards for the Population Reference Bureau and College Board's Advanced Placement Human Geography Committee. Active in reviewing and advising at institutions like Leiden University and the NIH.

Labs/Teams: Co-leads DCDC, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on water modeling (e.g., WaterSim) and scenario planning to inform policy and urban development strategies.