Karletta Chief

Adaptation Programs/Projects

Dr. Chief's research focuses on how indigenous communities will be affected by climate change. She collaborates with an interdisciplinary group of scientists including hydrologists, system dynamic modelers, and social scientists to determine how hydrological models can be improved to identify and mitigate risks to these vulnerable populations.

• Indigenous Food, Energy and Water Security & Sovereignty Training Program
• Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Traditional Knowledge and Climate Adaptation
• Native Water in Arid Lands Program Rising Voices

Employment Highlights

• Tucson Local Genius Awardee, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), 2023
• Women of Discovery Award, WINGS WorldQuest, New York, NY, 2022
• Inaugural Women of Impact Award, Office of Research, Innovation and Impact, University of Arizona, 2022
• Women’s Plaza of Honor Award, Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Arizona, 2022
• Tribal Resilience Leadership Award, Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, University of Arizona, 2021
• University Distinguished Outreach Faculty, University of Arizona, 2021

Selected Publications

• Ornelas Van Horne, Y., S.R. Carroll, K. Chief, N.Z. Lothrop, J.R. Richards, M. Begay, P.H. Charley, J.C. Ingram, and P.I. Beamer. 2023. Using environmental health dialogue in a Diné-centered approach for individualized results reporting in an environmental exposure study following the Gold King Mine Spill. Environmental Research, 231(2), August 2023, 116196 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.116196 
• Chew, E.S. and K. Chief. 2023. Community-engaged participatory climate research with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. J. Ecology and Society Special Issue on Collaborative Management, Environmental Caretaking and Sustainable Livelihoods, 28, https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13725-280116
• Clausen, R.J., C. Chief, N.I. Teufel-Shone, M.A. Begay, P.H. Charley, P.I. Beamer, N. Anako, and K. Chief. 2023. Diné-centered research reframes the Gold King Mine Spill: Understanding social and spiritual impacts across space and time. J. Rural Studies, 97:449-457, ISSN 0743-0167, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.12.021
• Brown, B., M. Pedersen, J. Harrington, A. Belcourt, S. Windchief, A. Thomas, R. Plenty Sweet-Grass She Kills, O. Conroy-Ben, E. Brodt, K. Chief, S. Hoagland, M. Johnson-Jennings, J. Lewis, K. Green Mink, K. Milligan-Myhre, M. Calhoun, A. Ozburn, V. Simonds, A. Des Rosier Grant, S. Hill, and K. Wu. 2022. Exploring personal, relational, and collective experiences and mentorship connections that enhance or inhibit professional development and career advancement of American Indian/Alaska Native faculty in STEM fields: A qualitative study. J. Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/dhe0000376 
• Teufel-Shone, N.I., C. Chief, J. Richards, R.J. Clausen, A.Yazzie, M.A. Begay, Jr., N. Lothrop, J. Yazzie, P.I. Beamer, K. Chief. Development of a Culturally Anchored Qualitative Approach to Conduct and Analyze Focus Group Narratives Collected in Diné (Navajo) Communities to Understand the Impact of the Gold King Mine Spill of 2015. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 6;18(17):9402. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18179402. PMID: 34502003; PMCID: PMC8430777.
• Ornelas Van Horne, Y., K. Chief, P.H. Charley, M.G. Begay, N. Lothrop, M.L. Bell, R.A. Canales, N.I. Teufel-Shone, and P.I. Beamer. 2021. Impacts to Dine activities with the San Juan River after the Gold King Mine Spill. J. Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-021-00290-z 
• Bair, L.S., K.Chief, B.J. Colombi, T.S. Melis, and D.M. Perry, C. 2021. Tribes and water management in the Colorado River, US. In (J. Laufer, E.E. Marques, S. Athayde, A.C. Swanson, and A.D.A. Zagallo) Rivers, lands and cultures: learning from Tocantins social-ecological system, pgs 106-126. https://www.editorafi.org/19rios   
• Chief, K. 2020. Water in the Native world. J Contemporary Water Research and Education 169: 1-7.
• Bair, L.S., C.B. Yackulic, J.C. Schmidt, D.M. Perry, C. Kirchoff, K. Chief, and B.J. Colombi. 2019. Incorporating social-ecological considerations into basin-wide responses to climate change in the Colorado River Basin. Current opinion in environmental sustainability: 37:14-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2019.04.002