Dr. Dominique David-Chavez is a prominent scholar whose work bridges Indigenous knowledge systems with contemporary environmental science and natural resource management. She serves as Assistant Professor of Indigenous Natural Resource Stewardship within Colorado State University's Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, where she directs the Indigenous Land & Data Stewards interdisciplinary research laboratory. Additionally, she holds an associate position with the Native Nations Institute at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona, strengthening cross-institutional collaborations for Indigenous data sovereignty. Dr. David-Chavez earned her doctoral degree from Colorado State University's Human Dimensions of Natural Resources program following completion of her undergraduate studies in Earth Sciences at Montana State University with a minor in Native American Studies. As a Caribbean Indigenous (Arawak Taíno) scholar, she brings unique cultural perspectives that inform her innovative approach to environmental research and education.
Dr. David-Chavez has pioneered transformative approaches to Indigenous data stewardship, establishing ethical frameworks that empower tribal nations to govern research conducted on their lands and with their communities. Her groundbreaking research on community-based climate resilience in the Caribbean Islands has generated innovative methodologies for shoreline monitoring and dune restoration that integrate traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary scientific practices. She has developed a values-centered relational science model that supports Indigenous rights and reconciliation in research, as documented in her highly regarded 2024 publication in Ecology and Society. Her scholarship, which has been published in leading journals including the Journal of Ethnobiology and Cultural Studies of Science Education, challenges conventional research paradigms by centering Indigenous knowledge systems and community-led governance in environmental decision-making.
As a principal investigator in the Indigenous Climate Resilience Science Hub, Dr. David-Chavez collaborates with communities across Puerto Rico, Alaska, Louisiana, and Hawai'i to implement place-based research that honors Indigenous knowledge systems while addressing contemporary climate challenges. She maintains a steadfast commitment to intergenerational knowledge transfer, actively supporting youth, elders, educators, and farmers as co-researchers in restoring pathways for knowledge regeneration with original stewards of Indigenous lands. Through her leadership in the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance and Indigenous Data Alliance, she continues to shape national conversations about ethical research practices that respect Indigenous sovereignty. Dr. David-Chavez's visionary work establishes a transformative foundation for decolonizing environmental science through Indigenous regeneration in both research and teaching practices, ensuring that future generations of scientists approach natural resource stewardship with cultural humility and respect for diverse knowledge systems.
