Associate Professor
UArizona Environmental Science

Dr. Chief is Diné originally from Black Mesa, AZ, and received a B.S. and M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University in 1998 and 2000. Dr. Chief received her Ph.D. in Hydrology and Water Resources in the School of Engineering at the University of Arizona in 2007. Dr. Chief works to bring relevant science to Native American communities in a culturally sensitive manner by providing hydrology expertise, assessing information needs, transferring knowledge, and developing applied science projects. Dr. Chief focuses her research on improving our understanding, tools, and predictions of watershed hydrology, unsaturated flow in arid environments, and how natural and human disturbances affect soil hydrology through the use of physically-based methods. Dr. Chief's research also focuses on how Indigenous communities will be affected by climate change to identify and mitigate risks to these vulnerable populations. As an Extension Specialist, she works to bring relevant science to Native American communities in a culturally sensitive manner by providing hydrology expertise, transferring knowledge, assessing information needs, and developing applied science projects. Learn more about Dr. Chief's work.