CAPLA’s Ladd Keith receives inaugural U of A Convergence Award for heat resiliency research

Ladd Keith, associate professor of planning in CAPLA, has received a 2026 University of Arizona Convergence Award for Excellence in Applied Research and Engineering for his interdisciplinary research advancing heat planning, policy and governance to improve resilience in communities around the world.

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“It’s an honor to receive the U of A’s inaugural Convergence Award for Excellence in Applied Research and Engineering,” Keith said. “Since I lead a research team with postdoctoral research associates, research staff, and doctoral, graduate and undergraduate students, I share this award with the entire team.”

Keith leads and collaborates on several major research initiatives focused on extreme heat and community resilience. He is the director of the Arizona Institute for Resilience’s Heat Resilience Initiative and is an associate research professor at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy. He also serves as: 

• University of Arizona lead for the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, funded by the Department of Energy. 
• Lead for heat research for the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
• Member on the Management Committee for the Global Heat Health Information Network, a joint initiative of the World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization focused on protecting global populations from the health risks of extreme heat. 

Bo Yang, associate dean of research, was the lead nominator for Keith. 

“His research has had a profound impact on how governments, practitioners, and communities understand and manage extreme heat risks,” Yang said. “He is a leader who rapidly advances the University of Arizona’s leadership on this research front at the national and global levels.” 

The Convergence Awards recognize interdisciplinary research achievements with an emphasis on inquiry, innovation and societal impact, which is an approach that closely aligns with Keith’s work in applied heat resilience research.

“The Convergence Awards are focused on interdisciplinary research achievements, with a focus on inquiry, innovation and societal impact — exactly the type of research my team works on,” Keith said. “It’s great to have the university recognize this area of applied research and bring more visibility to how our heat resilience research informs practice.”

Keith’s recent work has also expanded internationally through collaborations focused on addressing the growing impacts of extreme heat worldwide. 

“I contributed to the Global Heat Health Information Network’s Extreme Heat Risk Governance Framework and Toolkit during a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, to collaborate with the United Nations,” he said. “I also received a Fulbright Specialist Program award to travel to Patna, India, and engage with the faculty and students at the National Institute of Technology Patna on heat resilience.”