معرفی
Gigi Owen serves as a Senior Social Scientist at the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS), housed within the University of Arizona's School of Geography, Development, and Environment since 2008. Her work bridges human-environment interactions through qualitative social science approaches, focusing on climate change adaptation and food systems resilience in the US Southwest and Arizona-Sonora border region.
Her academic credentials include:
- PhD in Geography, Development, and Environment from the University of Arizona
- MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Arizona
- BA in Nature and Culture from the University of California, Davis
Owen's research emphasizes equity-centered climate adaptation and participatory food systems transformation, employing methods like collective art-making to inform policy. She investigates how communities navigate social, economic, and environmental shifts, with current projects examining Southern Arizona's food system resilience during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Her scholarship consistently centers justice frameworks and community agency in environmental decision-making.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals dominant trends in stakeholder co-production across climate science, public health adaptation, and food policy domains. Her work demonstrates evolving methodological sophistication in evaluating societal impacts, with increasing focus on ethical research partnerships and decolonizing knowledge systems. The publications collectively advance frameworks for equitable adaptation while documenting practical applications in the US Southwest.
Scientific Awards: No awards were documented in the source materials.
Owen mentors graduate students through CLIMAS's Environment & Society Fellowship Program and leads NOAA-funded projects including Building Regional Food System Resilience in Southern Arizona and the Western Region Climate Services Database Development. Her collaborative approach integrates community-based participatory research with institutional resources, evidenced by partnerships with Ambos Nogales communities and the Food Systems Research Lab. Current grants focus on pandemic recovery and transdisciplinary science training.
She contributes to CLIMAS's core mission as part of the Climate Assessment for the Southwest team and the Food Systems Research Lab, where she develops community-university partnerships to address border region environmental challenges through initiatives like the Pima County Food Alliance.
