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 and having served in various policy roles, her work bridges science, policy, finance, and governance to advance resilient water systems. Previously, she served as Chief Strategic Development Officer for Research in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from 2022 to 2026, where she led initiatives at the nexus of water, energy, and climate. Ajami also recently co-led the development of the Aspen National Water Strategy for the Aspen Institute, a national roadmap developed with cross-sector leaders to strengthen U.S. water security, modernize infrastructure, and align water management with economic growth and climate resilience. Earlier in her career, she founded and directed the Urban Water Program at Stanford University. Dr. Ajami has also held several public service roles, including mayoral appointee to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (2021–2024) and gubernatorial appointee to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (2013–2021). She served on the Board on Water Science and Technology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and is currently a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.