Sayali is a Senior Program Associate for Flood Resilience within the Sustainable Cities and Transport program at WRI India.

Before joining WRI, Sayali worked as a freelance GIS consultant, contributing to several projects, including TUDelft’s Resilience Lab, where she focused on land use change initiatives in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Her expertise spans watershed strategies for urban flooding, stream restoration, drinking water management analytics, and complete streets projects. She has also supported small and medium-sized American cities in enhancing water utilities by adopting better data practices and employing AI-based technologies for capital investment decisions. Additionally, Sayali has collaborated with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on her master’s thesis, which explored discretion in decision-making pathways for stormwater management in Bengaluru.

Sayali holds a Master’s in Environmental Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor’s in Architecture from R.V. College of Architecture, Bangalore. She has a keen interest in climate and environmental justice movements and is passionate about how mixed-methods research can help cities innovate in climate change adaptation and resilience.

Beyond her professional work, Sayali is an avid reader and volunteers with youth-led organizations focused on gender, education, and disability justice.