Rachel Mitchell is an affiliate of the Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes, assistant professor in NAU’s School of Earth and Sustainability, and site director for the Southern Nevada-Northern Arizona LSAMP Alliance. Her research focuses on the influence of climate and disturbance on plant trait expression, community assembly, and ecosystem function with a particular emphasis on maintaining and restoring resilient arid plant communities. She has authored or co-authored 13 peer-reviewed publications. Rachel also has mentored five graduate students and three undergraduate students supported by the Interns-2-Scholars program, Hooper Undergraduate Research Award, and NASA Space Grant program.