Newsha Ajami, PhD

Newsha Ajami, Ph.D. is a hydrologist and water policy expert and the Founding Director of the Program on Risk, Resilience, and Recovery at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Trained as a civil and environmental engineer, her work bridges science, policy, finance, and governance to advance resilient water systems. She previously served as Chief Strategic Development Officer for Research in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Ajami also co-led the development of the Aspen National Water Strategy at the Aspen Institute. She has held several public service roles, including appointments to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. She is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and a recipient of the AGU Ambassador Award.