Kirsten Rowell

Education

Ph.D. 2006, University of Arizona

M.S. 2001, Northern Arizona University

Research Interests

Historical Ecology, Aquatic Ecology, Conservation

Biography

Dr. Rowell is the Senior Director of Research Leadership in the Research and Innovation Office at the University of Colorado. Her academic career focuses on understanding how anthropogenic changes affect the growth and behavior of aquatic animals. Using sclerochronology and isotopes, she investigates life history changes in animals over thousands of years to assess the impact of these changes on nearshore habitats. Her research includes studying fisheries' responses to the over-allocation of Colorado River water in the Gulf of California and examining ancient aquaculture practices that boosted clam productivity along the Pacific Northwest.

More recently, Dr. Rowell has focused on building the capacity of academics along the career continuum through programs that emphasize collaboration and leadership skills. She leads the The RIO Faculty Fellows program, which supports rising CU Boulder faculty in developing their leadership skills for greater impact. In addition, Dr. Rowell has raised over $6 million in NSF workforce and training grants, in collaboration with CU faculty, to support the Global Sustainability Scholars Program (GSS). The GSS program is an interdisciplinary partnership with international research initiatives focused on transdisciplinary sustainability and biodiversity research. Graduate and undergraduate students are actively involved in projects that integrate knowledge across the natural sciences, social sciences, and policy. The program also provides mentorship to students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in sustainability research. By fostering a diverse workforce in sustainability sciences, the program aims to address some of the most pressing sustainability challenges facing society today.