In 2002, Cosens joined the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at San Francisco State University (SFSU) as an assistant professor of environmental studies.[3] She spent two years at SFSU before joining the University of Idaho College of Law as a full-time permanent faculty member.[4] By the 2009–2010 academic term, she received tenure from the university.[5] A few years later, she accepted a visiting scholar position at the University of New Mexico School of Law to focus on water resources management.[6] In 2014, Cosens edited a book titled the "Columbia River Treaty Revisited: Transboundary River Governance in the Face of Uncertainty" which examined the Columbia River Treaty.[7]
After earning tenure, Cosens co-founded the Social-ecological System Resilience, Climate Change, & Adaptive Water Governance project with Lance Gunderson.[8] By 2015, Cosens received a visiting professorship with Flinders University to study water policy and management. Her acceptance was, in part, based on her Social-ecological System Resilience, Climate Change, & Adaptive Water Governance project which focused on law regarding adaptive water governance.[9] The following year, she co-published an article with Craig Allen from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln titled "Avoiding Decline: Fostering Resilience and Sustainability in Midsize Cities," which focused on the Inland Northwest.[10] On October 5, 2016, Cosens joined researchers at Washington State University to study water management and how law treats in-stream flows and water transfers.[11]
On April 18, 2018, Cosens was promoted to the rank of University Distinguished Professor.[12] During the same year, she completed her co-founded Social-ecological System Resilience, Climate Change, & Adaptive Water Governance project and published the results in a book called "Practical Panarchy for Adaptive Water Governance: Linking Law to Social-Ecological Resilience."[13]
