Trained as a geographer, Yin has a broad spectrum of research interests. His past projects included studies of climatic variability of different time scales, impact of urbanization on water quality and quantity, coastal environment, and a NASA-sponsored project to evaluate rainfall estimates based on satellite passive microwave remote sensing over the Tibetan Plateau. He is currently involved in projects of using tree rings to reconstruct past climates in various regions in China and climate science education in San Diego. He has authored or co-authored more than 50 research articles published in peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Climate, Journal of Geophysical Research, International Journal of Climatology, and Journal of Hydrometeorology. Yin has directed both graduate and undergraduate student research in areas of hydrology and climatology.