OpenFieldNorthern Arizona · Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
Northern Arizona University is a high-research public doctoral university situated 7,000 feet above sea level in Flagstaff, Arizona. Celebrated for forestry, climate science, planetary astronomy at Lowell Observatory, microbiology, and indigenous health disparities.
NAU features the College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences, the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute (PMI), and the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems. Research centers manage the 4,000-acre Centennial Forest and partner with the USGS Astrogeology Science Center.
Undergraduate admissions evaluate high school core competency coursework (minimum 3.0 unweighted core GPA for guaranteed admission). Graduate admissions require an accredited bachelor's degree with 3.0 GPA, statement of purpose, and three letters of recommendation.
Interdisciplinary doctoral curriculum investigating Colorado Plateau hydrology, forest fire ecology, dendrochronology, carbon fluxes, and arid land climate adaptations.
Conducted in partnership with Lowell Observatory, the Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT), and the USGS Astrogeology Science Center, studying exoplanet atmospheres, cometary ice physics, and Mars rover missions.
Focuses on ecological informatics, bio-computational modeling, cyber-physical sensor networks, remote sensing image processing, and secure distributed computing.
SAF-accredited leader in ponderosa pine silviculture, wildfire behavior modeling, forest economics, and indigenous tribal forestry co-management.
ABET-accredited degree in thermodynamics, aerodynamics, computational fluid mechanics, biomechatronics, and autonomous vehicle design.
NAU's premier competitive scholarship awarded to extraordinary undergraduate scholars committed to environmental sustainability, scientific research, and civic leadership.
President and Professor of Electrical Engineering
Office of the President
Dr. José Luis Cruz Rivera serves as the 17th President of NAU, an electrical engineer specializing in signal processing, higher education access, and Hispanic s...
View researcher profile ↗Regents' Professor and Executive Director of the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute
Pathogen and Microbiome Institute
Dr. Paul Keim is a world authority in microbial genomics and pathogen forensics, who led the landmark genomic investigation identifying the 2001 Amerithrax anth...
View researcher profile ↗Professor and Department Chair of Astronomy and Planetary Science
Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science
Dr. David Trilling conducts observational planetary astronomy investigating near-Earth asteroids, Kuiper Belt objects, and planetary system formation using spac...
View researcher profile ↗OpenField is an independent research platform not officially affiliated with Northern Arizona University. Information reflects public documentation reviewed on 2026-10-16. Students must verify application deadlines, fee structures, and prerequisite details directly with official university admissions departments before applying.
Updated 2026-10-16 · Editorial policy · Submit corrections