"I am an Indigenous water scientist."
"My lived experience is that I grew up on the Navajo Nation without electricity or running water."
"I am committed to Indigenous food, energy and water sovereignty and security."
Water Experience
Dr. Karletta Chief (Diné) is a Professor & Extension Specialist in Environmental Science at the University of Arizona. She is the director of the Indigenous Resilience Center and lead for the NSF Indigenous Food, Energy, and Water Security and Sovereignty Training Program. Indige-FEWSS’s vision is to develop a diverse workforce with intercultural awareness and expertise in sustainable food, energy, and water systems (FEWS), specifically through off grid technologies to address the lack of safe water, energy, and food security in Indigenous communities. Dr. Karletta Chief grew up on the Navajo Nation without electricity and running water. Her family live within the Peabody Coal Company leasehold area. Her lived personal experiences of environmental injustice and as a first-generation graduate motivate her to devote all her environmental research to supporting the resilience of Indigenous communities and training of students in sustainable technologies. Her primary Navajo projects include “Navajo COVID-19 Risks and Indigenous Resilience and Gold King Mine Spill Diné Exposure Project. Dr. Chief received a B.S. and M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University in 1998 and 2000 and a Ph.D. in Hydrology and Water Resources from UArizona in 2007. She completed her post-doctorate at Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas, NV. In 2011, Dr. Chief was named American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Most Promising Scientist/Scholar, 2013 Stanford University Distinguished Alumni Scholar, 2015 Native American 40 under 40, 2016 AISES Professional of the Year, and 2016 Phoenix Indian Center Woman of the Year.
Opportunities Offered
- Graduate student training (e.g., masters, PhD)
- webinars focused on training to work with Indigenous communities
Languages: English
Sectors: Academia
Primary Water Expertise: Advocacy, Climate Change, Community Engagement, Cultural Dimensions, Hydrology, Indigenous Knowledge, Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH)