Vishal Gaikwad, S.J.D.

Vishal Gaikwad is a Professor of Practice and Legal Technologist in the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program (IPLP) at the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law. He also serves as Administrator of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe–University of Arizona microcampus and Director of the Tribal Web Development Initiative. Across these roles, he combines teaching, research, and technology development to advance Indigenous rights, digital sovereignty, and educational access.

As a Co-Investigator on the Connect Arizona Now grant funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Vishal led the development of immersive technology and digital infrastructure at the Microcampus. His work includes digital communications, hybrid learning systems, and tools that support remote instruction and participation.

Vishal designed, developed, and launched the IPLP mobile app, connecting students, alumni, faculty, and community members. Through the Tribal Web Development Initiative, he develops and maintains University-hosted platforms for Indigenous research, advocacy, and education, including the Indigenous Rights & Protected Areas website, NativeNet, and the Native American Advancement, Initiatives, and Research portal. Earlier, as an IPLP student worker, Vishal developed un.arizona.edu to support the work of José Francisco Calí Tzay, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, providing online access to mandate-related information and resources. His responsibilities span website development, searchable databases, accessibility, security, and digital outreach.

He teaches Tribal Web Development, combining practical website-building skills with Indigenous digital sovereignty, with particular attention to the Native Sovereign Nations (NSN.gov) Domain Program. He holds a Doctor of Juridical Science from the IPLP, where his dissertation examined websites as tools for advancing Indigenous Peoples’ human rights and self-representation. His Sovereign Source Theory (SST) proposes strengthening Indigenous control over the authoritative digital sources that inform AI systems.