Kirti Rajagopalan

Kirti Rajagopalan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Washington State University (WSU), part of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. Her research focuses on transdisciplinary approaches to address water and agricultural resource challenges through systems modeling, integrating engineering, economics, and environmental science. She leads the Agricultural, Natural and Human Systems Modeling Group, which develops tools for climate adaptation, water resource management, and crop resilience. Her work emphasizes leveraging satellite imagery, machine learning, and data-driven methods to solve real-world problems in precision agriculture and environmental sustainability.

Key research interests include climate change impacts on crop water demand, precision agriculture technologies (e.g., SoilScan mobile app), and sustainable water management strategies. Dr. Rajagopalan collaborates widely with experts in entomology, statistics, and agronomy to ensure interdisciplinary problem-solving. Her contributions include advancing snow-water equivalent prediction models, evaluating seasonal forecast utility for agricultural decisions, and assessing vulnerabilities in the Columbia River Basin under climate change scenarios.

Her recent projects highlight innovative applications of AI, such as the IGraSS framework for infrastructure network identification via satellite imagery, and UAV-based digital trait analysis for wheat yield prediction. She also investigates legal frameworks like water right forfeiture and the economic implications of agricultural water trading. Dr. Rajagopalan’s research has been supported by high-profile initiatives, including WSU’s leadership in a $20M NSF-funded AI institute for agriculture.

Notably, her work bridges science and practice through public engagement, policy analysis, and stakeholder dialogues focused on the food-energy-water nexus. She emphasizes actionable solutions for resilient agricultural systems in the face of climate uncertainty, leveraging both technical and institutional innovations.