Siddhartha Roy’s Group at Rutgers University

Our Mission

The mission of our Water × Health × Development research program is to facilitate access to safe and affordable water for all in the 21st century. We mentor future scientists and engineers, conduct novel research, craft data-driven stories to effectively communicate our findings, and provide implementation and policy advice through an ethical lens. Our program uses a transdisciplinary approach to help answer the question: Is my water safe to drink?

At a Glance

  • Researchers: 2 PhD, 2 MS, and 8 undergraduate students.
  • Traditional Outputs: 25+ peer-reviewed articles, 50+ conference talks, and 100+ public lectures, including a TED talk.
  • Policy Impact: U.S. Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, the U.S. $1T Infrastructure Bill (Lead Pipe Replacement), and safe water implementation in Ghana.
  • Funding: ACX, Hilton Foundation, Moore Foundation, NIEHS, Rutgers, and USGS.
  • Media Coverage: The New York Times, The Boston Globe, BBC, PBS, NPR, and WIRED.
  • Service: World Health Organization, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and Rural Water Supply Network.
  • Courses: Intro to Environmental Science; Science/Engineering for the Public Good; Water and Wastewater Treatment.
  • Public Engagement: 15+ community-engaged projects to advance safe water and improve health outcomes, including helping uncover the Flint Water Crisis.

About Rutgers

Established in 1766, Rutgers University is one of America’s nine original colonial colleges and first land-grant institutions. A top 15 public national university and a top 100 world university, Rutgers is located in New Brunswick, NJ, and is equidistant from both Philadelphia and New York City.

The Department of Environmental Sciences is the oldest environmental sciences department in the nation, with a history dating back over 100 years, and offers programs in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering (jointly with the School of Engineering), Meteorology, and Atmospheric Science.

Image credits: Photos captured by the PI, his students, and staff photographers (Logan Wallace, Peter Means, and Erica Corder at Virginia Tech), or reused under Fair Use doctrine.