Director of Heat Response and Mitigation
David Hondula’s research focuses on the social and health effects of natural and technological hazards, with an emphasis on extreme heat and power failures. He works closely with local, regional, and state authorities on the development and implementation of plans and programs to make communities safer and more resilient to extreme events. At ASU, Hondula serves on leadership teams for the Urban Climate Research Center and Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Program. He is also on the steering committee for the Arizona Extreme Heat Preparedness and Resilience work group, and a faculty affiliate of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
Prior to joining the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Hondula was a postdoctoral scholar and assistant research professor with ASU’s Center for Policy Informatics. Hondula received his doctorate. in environmental sciences at the University of Virginia and during his graduate school tenure was also a visiting scholar at Umeå University in Umeå, Sweden and Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. Hondula is an editorial board member for Environmental Health Perspectives, a field editor for the International Journal of Biometeorology, and a member of the American Meteorological Society’s Board on Environment and Health.
As of October 2021, Hondula is serving as the Director of Heat Response and Mitigation for the City of Phoenix.