Ryan Johnson leverages AI to safeguard water resources in the drought-prone western U.S., focusing on snow mapping, streamflow monitoring, and predictive modeling to inform water management. “My work is driven by the need to integrate technical innovation with long-term sustainability,” he said. He uses AI-optimized monitoring stations, machine learning, and edge computing—processing data at potentially remote stations, as opposed to the cloud, to allow for real-time analysis. Johnson, who holds a PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the U, recently developed a hydroinformatics course that covers data science and computing while grounding students in responsible AI. As a fellow, he will develop auditable AI models for the Upper Colorado Basin—incorporating demographic data to prevent social or economic biases in decision-making—and create open-source tools to push his field forward.
