Dr. Patricia Solis

Patricia Solís, PhD, is Research Professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and Executive Director of the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at Arizona State University. She is the co-founder and director of YouthMappers, a consortium of student-led humanitarian mapping chapters on more than 400 university campuses in 80 countries. Her disciplinary expertise centers on the application of participatory geospatial technologies for sustainable development needs. Solís has produced over 60 peer reviewed publications, won competitive research funding from 24 different sponsors including 13 federal agencies totaling $74M over her career. She is co-inventor on a US patent of a data tool supporting university-community partnership formation. Her expertise and testimony around the effects of extreme heat on communities has led to innovative policy, planning, and state legislation protecting vulnerable communities. This work has been featured in national media like the Washington Post, The New Yorker, NPR. From 2021-2025 she served an international diplomatic tour as the first woman to be elected President of the PanAmerican Institute of Geography and History for the Organization of American States. Among other distinctions Solís has received the American Association of Geographers Ronald F. Abler Distinguished Service Honors.