معرفی
Karletta Chief holds multiple academic roles at the University of Arizona, including Professor of Environmental Science (home department), Joint Professor of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, and Full Professor and Extension Specialist. She also serves as University Distinguished Professor, Director of the Arizona Institute of Resilience and the Haury Indigenous Resilience Center (IRC), and Chair of the Indigenous Food/Energy/Water Systems GIDP. With a Ph.D. in Hydrology from the University of Arizona, her work bridges environmental science with Indigenous knowledge systems.
Her research focuses on climate change impacts on water resources, particularly for Indigenous communities, including post-fire watershed dynamics, Gold King Mine Spill remediation, and Navajo Nation water security. She emphasizes participatory approaches, collaborating with tribes like the Pyramid Lake Paiute and Navajo Nation to address socio-environmental challenges through culturally grounded methodologies.
Notable contributions include developing Indigenous FEWSS frameworks, mentoring Native American STEM faculty, and advancing tribal partnerships in philanthropy. She has received the University Distinguished Professor honor and leads initiatives like the Native FEWS Alliance to broaden career pathways in food-energy-water systems.
Recent work highlights community-based health risk assessments, climate adaptation strategies, and institutional capacity-building in tribal contexts. Her research integrates social-ecological systems thinking, bridging Western science with Indigenous worldviews to achieve resilient solutions.
