Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Geography & Enviro Sci & Poli, University of South Florida, 2018
  • M.S., Cartography & Geographic Information System, Beijing Normal University, 2013
  • B.S., Geographic Information System, Lanzhou University, 2010
Professional Honors
  • Panel Reviewer for NASA and NSF, 2021-2022
  • First place in Student Paper Competition, American Association of Geographers, 2017
  • Outstanding Graduate of Lanzhou University (the highest honor), 2010
Professional Affiliations
  • Society of Ecological Restoration
  • American Geophysical Union
  • American Associations of Geographers
  • Ecological Society of America
  • Sino-Ecologists Association Overseas

Dr. Qiuyan Yu is a Senior Scientist at Exponent who helps clients assess and manage environmental and infrastructure risks using advanced modeling, geospatial analytics, and AI-enhanced workflows. She works closely with utilities, infrastructure developers, and legal teams to evaluate risks, regulatory filings, and build defensible strategies supported by publicly available and specifically sourced data.

Her consulting experience spans multiple hazard domains, including:

Utility Risk & Infrastructure Resilience

Dr. Yu helps utility clients assess exposure to multiple natural hazards — including earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, and landslides — using a combination of remote sensing, geospatial modeling, and risk analytics. Her work supports asset risk prioritization, regulatory compliance (e.g., SB-884), and long-term infrastructure resilience planning.

She has developed custom tools that simulate seismic impacts on pipeline infrastructure, integrating PGV, VS30, fault proximity, and site condition metrics. For landslide risk, she leverages soil moisture, slope, and vegetation indices to identify terrain instability in vulnerable service areas.

Dr. Yu also conducts wildfire ignition and spread risk assessments, combining remote sensing, utility asset conditions, vegetation stress, and wind exposure to identify potential ignition corridors and support fire mitigation strategies. In hurricane-prone regions, she assists in evaluating wind and flood-related exposure across infrastructure networks.

Her integrated, data-driven approach enables utility clients to:

  • Quantify hazard exposure at the asset level
  • Prioritize hardening or operational response plans
  • Communicate risk profiles effectively to regulators, insurers, and the public

Environmental Exposure & Regulatory Modeling

Dr. Yu conducts airborne dispersion modeling to assess public and environmental exposure to herbicides and pesticides, particularly for regulatory and litigation support. She uses CALPUFF and AERMOD to simulate how chemicals behave under varying meteorological and topographic conditions. To support decision-making and defensibility, she builds custom post-processing tools that allow stakeholders to:

  • Visualize exposure concentrations across sensitive zones
  • Compare alternative applications or weather scenarios
  • Integrate with land-use, topography, and sources and receptor

Her modeling helps clients meet regulatory requirements, manage liability, and communicate scientific findings in clear, actionable formats.