Vaishali Sharda

Vaishali Sharda serves as Associate Professor in the Carl and Melinda Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Kansas State University and acts as Primary Investigator for the BioWRAP initiative.

Her research centers on climate prediction impacts on water resources and agriculture, with specific focus on irrigation water availability, crop yield modeling, Midwestern U.S. climate implications, and development of high-resolution remote sensing datasets for integrated agro-hydrologic systems. She employs models including SWAT, SWAT-MODFLOW, DSSAT, and RZWQM across multiple spatial-temporal scales to analyze climate variability effects and create decision support tools for agricultural producers.

As BioWRAP lead, she directs efforts to develop locally-sourced biopolymer soil cover films that synchronize with crop growth cycles, aiming to reduce herbicide dependency while enhancing soil health through physical weed suppression and protection of ecosystem diversity. The project involves field testing on corn and soybeans using precision agricultural equipment and market adoption analysis through producer-focused group discussions.