Yoganand Korgaonkar

I am a spatial thinker, educator, and builder who moves comfortably between research, code, and the classroom. My path has been anything but linear — I began as a software engineer in Mumbai, found my way to the desert Southwest for graduate school, fell in love with watersheds and maps, and never really left.

I hold a Ph.D. and M.S. in Natural Resources (Watershed Management & Ecohydrology) from the University of Arizona, and a B.Tech in Information Technology from Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Mumbai, India. That combination of computer science roots and environmental science training shapes everything I do — whether I'm writing Python to analyze spatial data, modeling how green infrastructure affects urban flooding, or helping students publish their first web map.

I primarily teach courses in the MS-GIST and BS-GIST programs at the University of Arizona that focus on Python programming, spatial analysis, and web-based GIS. I emphasize hands-on, applied learning through clear objectives, structured modules, and practical exercises that strengthen both technical abilities and analytical thinking and help students develop confidence in applying geospatial tools to real-world challenges.

My research leverages GIS and geospatial modeling in interdisciplinary projects that examine environmental processes, urban systems, and social equity. I collaborate broadly across institutions, contributing spatial analysis and visualization expertise to address environmental, historical, and community-centered questions.

I am currently serving as the lead of the Urban sub-team focusing on the impacts of urbanization on water availability in Arizona as part of the Arizona Tri-University Recharge & Water Reliability project. My graduate research focused on urban hydrology and the role of green infrastructure for flood mitigation, water augmentation and providing ecosystem services. I also developed the AGWA Urban tool that can be used to model urban hydrology and green infrastructure.

I was also the Assistant Director of the Mapping Racist Covenants project, where our team created an interactive ArcGIS Experience to map Tucson subdivisions that still contain racially restrictive covenants. This work has helped reveal how discriminatory housing policies shaped neighborhood development and access to opportunity, and the project’s findings contributed to the passage of Arizona Senate Bill 1432, which now allows homeowners and HOAs to remove unlawful language from property covenants.

I also serve on graduate committees across multiple departments, providing guidance on spatial analysis, hydrology and hydrologic modeling, and geospatial methodologies for interdisciplinary research.

Since joining the University of Arizona GIST Program in 2020, I have taught a wide range of courses spanning GIS fundamentals, programming, web mapping, and spatial analysis — primarily online. I have also advised over 100 students in MA projects, capstone courses, and honors theses, and serve on multiple PhD committees.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Gupta, N., Lima, R., Sankey, T.T., Mroczek, C., Jacobs, K., Lewis, R., Bromley, F., Xu, T., Richter, H., Broxton, P., Korgaonkar, Y., et al. (2026). Opportunistic Recharge Enhancement in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions. Groundwater. doi:10.1111/gwat.70070
• Su, X., Dai, Q., Yao, C., Gupta, N., Korgaonkar, Y., et al. (2025). Stormwater capture as a pathway to enhance groundwater recharge in arid to semi-arid urban landscapes. City and Environment Interactions, 100190. doi:10.1016/j.cacint.2025.100190
• Korgaonkar, Y., Guertin, D.P., Meixner, T., & Goodrich, D.C. (2021). Hydrological Modeling of Green Infrastructure to Quantify Its Effect on Flood Mitigation and Water Availability in the High School Watershed in Tucson, AZ. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 10(7), 443. doi:10.3390/ijgi10070443
• Korgaonkar, Y., Meles, M.B., Guertin, D.P., Goodrich, D.C., & Unkrich, C. (2020). Global Sensitivity Analysis of KINEROS2 Parameters Representing Green Infrastructure using the STAR-VARS framework. Environmental Modelling & Software, 104814. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2020.104814
• Korgaonkar, Y., Guertin, D.P., Goodrich, D.C., Unkrich, C., Kepner, W., & Burns, I.S. (2018). Modeling Urban Hydrology and Green Infrastructure using the AGWA Urban Tool and the KINEROS2 Model. Frontiers in Built Environment, 4, 58. doi:10.3389/fbuil.2018.00058
• Harpold, A.A., Biederman, J.A., Condon, K., Merino, M., Korgaonkar, Y., et al. (2014). Changes in snow accumulation and ablation following the Las Conchas Forest Fire, New Mexico, USA. Ecohydrology, 7(2), 440–452. doi:10.1002/eco.1363