My name is Melinda Adams, I belong to the N'dee San Carlos Apache Tribe and I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science and Indigenous Studies at The University of Kansas. I recently graduated with my PhD from the University of California, Davis where I partnered with Tribes to examine the ecological and cultural benefits of cultural fire, that is Indigenous-led, purposely placed prescribed fire for the improvement of our ecosystems, cultural lifeways, and community resilience.
My lab specializes in examining plant and soil ecological responses to cultural fire toward restoration goals. This work is rooted in the Traditional Ecological Knowledge and cultural stories of Indigenous cultural fire practitioner-partners.
As an Indigenous scientist, my unique background in STEM and the humanities positions me to continue to develop multiple cross-disciplinary partnerships and research collaborations within and outside the academy.
The scholarship I have produced with Indigenous community rightsholders has garnered several National fellowships including: The National Science Foundation, The Johns Hopkins Health Policy Research Fellowship, the Mellon Dissertation Research Fellowship, the Ford Foundation Fellowship and the Robert and Patricia Switzer Environmental Fellowship.
I am at mentorship capacity for internal and external undergraduate and graduate students AY 2024-2025. For future mentor or M.S./M.A./Ph.D. committee inquiry, send CV, and research areas of interest to: mmadams@ku.edu
Be sure to check back for research initiatives, publication releases, and media pieces. A'shoog, thank you, be well.
