Christine Kirchhoff

Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Christine J. Kirchhoff is an Associate Professor at Penn State and teaches courses in law, policy and engineering systems, engineering design, and civil engineering. In addition to her teaching role, she holds several leadership roles at the university, including as Associate Director of the Penn State’s Climate Consortium and serving as Associate Head for Research for the School of Engineering Design and Innovation.

Dr. Kirchhoff was recently named an Institute for Energy and Environment Fellow in recognition for her exceptional and impactful interdisciplinary research. Dr. Kirchhoff’s research explores the production and use of science for policy and decision making, water governance, and resilient infrastructure. She uses both qualitative and quantitative social science methods and artificial intelligence workflows in research. Her work has been recognized with over $5 million in direct research funding, including a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award for her innovative approach to understanding how communities and infrastructure systems can better withstand and recover from climate-related challenges.

She has published over 55 peer-reviewed research articles and serves as an editor for two scientific journals. Dr. Kirchhoff actively contributes to bridging science and policy at multiple levels—from serving on the Chesapeake Bay Science and Technical Advisory Committee to authoring or leading chapters of major international and national climate assessments, including for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the U.S. National Climate Assessment.

Dr. Kirchhoff earned her doctorate from the University of Michigan, where her award-winning dissertation examined how climate information from regional assessments can be used more effectively in water resource management.