Gigi Owen

Senior Research Scientist

Dr. Gigi Owen is a Senior Research Scientist at the Arizona Institute for Resilience at the University of Arizona and a member of the Climate Assessment for the Southwest research team. She is a social scientist whose research explores the dynamic relationships between people and their environments through culture, policy, and place. Her current work focuses on how individuals and communities in the Southwest U.S. experience climate change and how science can help inform adaptation strategies. Her research is qualitative, collaborative, and grounded in the belief that effective climate solutions are co-produced with communities and informed by lived experience and multiple ways of knowing.

One of Gigi’s current projects involves a novel arts-informed research methodology that asks Tucson residents about nourishment, food security, and resilience. Responses go far beyond food, revealing how nourishment is deeply connected to social and familial bonds, activities and traditions, and the Sonoran Desert. Findings suggest that building a resilient society means not just meeting physical needs, but also fostering community care, supporting local economies and organizations, and practicing environmental stewardship.

Outside of research, Gigi bakes, bikes, skates, hikes, plays music, paints, and dabbles in other creative crafts. Nature has always provided a sanctuary and a place that helps her put life in perspective.