In addition to her scientific career, Narváez is an Indigenous leader and activist in Ecuador, and has played a crucial role in her community's efforts to defend their rights to land and cultural survival in the Amazon rainforest.
Narváez is currently the sub-dean of the faculty of exact and natural sciences at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and a principal investigator at the Center for Research for Health in Latin America (CIseAL).
Narváez has published numerous articles in academic journals, including "The domestication of Yuca, and its relationship with a little-known Ecuadorian relative" in Nuestra Ciencia.
She has also been recognized by the Ecuadorian government for her contributions to the field of plant molecular biology and her work in promoting scientific research in Ecuador.
In addition, Narváez and her colleague, Alex Lucitante, have been awarded the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize for their efforts to protect their community's lands from gold mining.