diff --git a/vortex-dtype/src/field.rs b/vortex-dtype/src/field.rs
index d6b4d60364..ac083ad435 100644
--- a/vortex-dtype/src/field.rs
+++ b/vortex-dtype/src/field.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ use std::fmt::{Display, Formatter};
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use itertools::Itertools;
+use vortex_error::{vortex_err, VortexResult};
+
+use crate::FieldNames;
 
 /// A selector for a field in a struct
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
@@ -46,6 +49,54 @@ impl Display for Field {
     }
 }
 
+impl Field {
+    /// Returns true if the field is defined by Name
+    pub fn is_named(&self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, Field::Name(_))
+    }
+
+    /// Returns true if the field is defined by Index
+    pub fn is_indexed(&self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, Field::Index(_))
+    }
+
+    /// Convert a field to a named field
+    pub fn into_named_field(self, field_names: &FieldNames) -> VortexResult<Self> {
+        match self {
+            Field::Index(idx) => field_names
+                .get(idx)
+                .ok_or_else(|| {
+                    vortex_err!(
+                        "Field index {} out of bounds, it has names {:?}",
+                        idx,
+                        field_names
+                    )
+                })
+                .cloned()
+                .map(Field::Name),
+            Field::Name(_) => Ok(self),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Convert a field to an indexed field
+    pub fn into_index_field(self, field_names: &FieldNames) -> VortexResult<Self> {
+        match self {
+            Field::Name(name) => field_names
+                .iter()
+                .position(|n| *n == name)
+                .ok_or_else(|| {
+                    vortex_err!(
+                        "Field name {} not found, it has names {:?}",
+                        name,
+                        field_names
+                    )
+                })
+                .map(Field::Index),
+            Field::Index(_) => Ok(self),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// A path through a (possibly nested) struct, composed of a sequence of field selectors
 // TODO(ngates): wrap `Vec<Field>` in Option for cheaper "root" path.
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
diff --git a/vortex-expr/src/transform/mod.rs b/vortex-expr/src/transform/mod.rs
index 465b4a019a..2f6c4dc96b 100644
--- a/vortex-expr/src/transform/mod.rs
+++ b/vortex-expr/src/transform/mod.rs
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
+//! A collection of transformations that can be applied to a [`crate::ExprRef`].
 pub mod partition;
+pub mod resolve_field_names;
 pub mod simplify;
diff --git a/vortex-expr/src/transform/resolve_field_names.rs b/vortex-expr/src/transform/resolve_field_names.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9ccaddbc1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vortex-expr/src/transform/resolve_field_names.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+use vortex_dtype::DType;
+use vortex_error::{vortex_err, VortexResult};
+
+use crate::traversal::{MutNodeVisitor, Node, TransformResult};
+use crate::{ExprRef, GetItem};
+
+/// Resolves any [`vortex_dtype::Field::Index`] nodes in the expression to
+/// [`vortex_dtype::Field::Name`] nodes.
+pub fn resolve_field_names(expr: ExprRef, scope_dtype: &DType) -> VortexResult<ExprRef> {
+    let mut visitor = FieldToNameTransform { scope_dtype };
+    expr.transform(&mut visitor).map(|node| node.result)
+}
+
+struct FieldToNameTransform<'a> {
+    scope_dtype: &'a DType,
+}
+
+impl MutNodeVisitor for FieldToNameTransform<'_> {
+    type NodeTy = ExprRef;
+
+    fn visit_up(&mut self, node: Self::NodeTy) -> VortexResult<TransformResult<Self::NodeTy>> {
+        if let Some(get_item) = node.as_any().downcast_ref::<GetItem>() {
+            if get_item.field().is_named() {
+                return Ok(TransformResult::no(node));
+            }
+
+            let child_dtype = get_item.child().return_dtype(self.scope_dtype)?;
+            let struct_dtype = child_dtype
+                .as_struct()
+                .ok_or_else(|| vortex_err!("get_item requires child to have struct dtype"))?;
+
+            return Ok(TransformResult::yes(GetItem::new_expr(
+                get_item
+                    .field()
+                    .clone()
+                    .into_named_field(struct_dtype.names())?,
+                get_item.child().clone(),
+            )));
+        }
+
+        Ok(TransformResult::no(node))
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use vortex_dtype::Nullability::NonNullable;
+    use vortex_dtype::PType::I32;
+    use vortex_dtype::{DType, StructDType};
+
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::{get_item, ident};
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_idx_to_name_expr() {
+        let dtype = DType::Struct(
+            StructDType::new(
+                vec!["a".into(), "b".into()].into(),
+                vec![
+                    DType::Struct(
+                        StructDType::new(
+                            vec!["c".into(), "d".into()].into(),
+                            vec![I32.into(), I32.into()],
+                        ),
+                        NonNullable,
+                    ),
+                    DType::Struct(
+                        StructDType::new(
+                            vec!["e".into(), "f".into()].into(),
+                            vec![I32.into(), I32.into()],
+                        ),
+                        NonNullable,
+                    ),
+                ],
+            ),
+            NonNullable,
+        );
+        let expr = get_item(1, get_item("a", ident()));
+        let new_expr = resolve_field_names(expr, &dtype).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(&new_expr, &get_item("d", get_item("a", ident())));
+
+        let expr = get_item(0, get_item(1, ident()));
+        let new_expr = resolve_field_names(expr, &dtype).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(&new_expr, &get_item("e", get_item("b", ident())));
+    }
+}