Dr. Abrar Yousuf has on-field experience of working on soil and water conservation in Kandi region of Punjab. He has expertise in hydrological modeling including WEPP, SWAT, EROSION-3D and RUSLE. Currently, Dr. Abrar is the Principal Investigator of the externally funded research project on rainwater harvesting using machine learning and GIS techniques. He has handled eight research projects as PI or Co-PI. Dr. Abrar has also worked in one international research project funded by IPROconsult, Germany. He has published more than 50 research articles in national and international journals, 3 books, 15 book chapters, 20 extension articles and 17 technical bulletins. His research on “cultivation practices of ginger” has been published as recommendations in the package of practices of the university. Dr. Abrar is recipient of many prestigious awards and felicitations for his dedicated accomplishments including INSPIRE fellowship, Young Scientist Award, Best PhD thesis award, Best paper awards, etc.

Professional Accomplishments

Research Projects:

1. Identification of Potential Rainwater Harvesting Sites using geo-spatial techniques in Kandi region of Punjab funded by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), New Delhi.
2. Development of Sustainable Agricultural Water Management Practices for Kahnuwan Block of Gurdaspur, Punjab funded by NABARD.
3. Establishment of State-of-the-Art Geospatial Technology Lab funded by Department of Science and Technology (FIST), New Delhi

Research Publications:

1. Yousuf A, Sharma N, Mohammad AB, Khokhar A, Sandhu PS, Dhillon BS, Dughairi AA, Almohamad H and Abdo HG (2025). Soil erosion assessment and watershed prioritization using GIS based RUSLE in Lower Shivaliks of Northwest India. Geol Ecol Landscapes. 1–18.
2. Yousuf A, Bhardwaj A and Yousuf F (2022). Development and evaluation of GIS-based runoff and sediment yield watershed scale model. Arab J Geosci. 15: 1570.
3. Yousuf A and Bhardwaj A (2021). Development and application of travel time based gridded runoff and sediment yield model. Int J Environ Sci Technol. 19: 9801–9816.
4. Sharma N, Yousuf A and Kaushal A (2024). Evaluating the efficacy of best management practices in mitigating sediment yield and nutrient losses in the lower Sutlej River Basin, India. Water Air Soil Pollut. 235: 703.
5. Lenz J, Yousuf A, Schindewolf M, von Werner M, Hartsch K, Singh MJ and Schmidt J (2018). Parameterization for EROSION 3D model under simulated rainfall conditions in lower Shivaliks of India. Geosci. 8: 396.

 Awards and Recognition:

1. Young Scientist award by Indian Society of Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad.
2. Best Ph.D. Thesis award by Soil Conservation Society of India, New Delhi
3. Most Responsive Centre Team Award by ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture
4. Member, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi for development of National Agriculture Code for Soil and Water Conservation Structures
5. In Charge, All India Coordinated Operational Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (2024-25)
6. INSPIRE Fellowship during Ph.D. by DST, New Delhi
7. Best Research Paper award by National Environmental Science Academy, New Delhi
8. Recommendation on successful cultivation of ginger by Research Evaluation Committee for inclusion in Package of Practices for vegetable crops