Bonnie Colby

Dr. Colby focuses on the neuroeconomics* of collaborative problem-solving processes and incentive-based agreements to address multi-cultural resource conflicts. Her research, teaching and outreach emphasize climate change adaptation, water supply reliability and negotiated agreements to resolve environmental disputes. Colby has provided invited testimony to state legislatures, tribal councils, federal courts and the U.S. Congress. She works with public agencies, private firms and NGOs to develop and implement economic strategies to address regional resource challenges, and provides trainings for attorneys, engineers, public officials and resource user groups.

Dr. Colby has authored over one hundred journal articles and eight books, including Braving the Currents: Resolving Conflicts Over the Waters of the American West; Negotiating Tribal Water Rights; and Risk & Resilience: The Economics of Climate, Water, and Energy in the Arid Southwest.

* Neuroeconomics studies human choices and processing of multiple alternatives, incorporating neuroscientific discoveries to guide models of individual and collective behavior and design of effective collaborative problem-solving processes."