Patricia Solis

Patricia Solís, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at Arizona State University (ASU), leading efforts to align community needs with research innovations. She holds the rank of Research Professor of Geography in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. Her work focuses on sustainability, resilience, and geospatial technologies, particularly through initiatives like YouthMappers, a global consortium of student-led mapping chapters. She previously served as Co-Director at the Center for Geospatial Technology at Texas Tech University and Deputy Director at the American Association of Geographers.

Education: PhD in Geography (University of Iowa, 2002), MA in Geography (Kansas State University, 1996), BS in Physics and BA in German (Kansas State University, 1994). She also studied at ETH Zurich (1992–1993).

Research interests include geospatial technologies for humanitarian and development goals, community-engaged scholarship, and youth empowerment. Her work has been recognized with awards such as the 2024 AAG Media Achievement Award and the 2023 ASU President’s Global Engagement Award.

Key roles include President of the PanAmerican Institute of Geography and History (OAS), Fulbright Specialist, and editorial board member of Professional Geographer. She has authored over 75 publications, including the 2023 Springer book Open Mapping for the Sustainable Development Goals.