About
Siddhartha Roy’s environmental sciences and engineering research group is housed within the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University.
Roy and his Virginia Tech team’s scientific and humanitarian relief work, with residents of Flint, Michigan, helped uncover the Flint Water Crisis using citizen science, open data sharing, field sampling, investigative journalism, and social media. These efforts led to the declaration of a “Public Health Emergency” by President Obama, garnered over $1.3 billion in relief, and informed the 2018 MI Lead and Copper Rule, the 2021 $1 Trillion federal Infrastructure Bill (H.R. 3684), and the 2024 US EPA Lead and Copper Rule Improvements. His work has been discussed in The New York Times, BBC World Service, and the PBS® NOVA documentary “Poisoned Water,” and his TED talk “Science in service to the public good” has been viewed over 1.6 million times worldwide.
Roy’s group investigates water safety using laboratory experiments, field studies, analytical methods development, epidemiological approaches, and computational modeling. The research examines metals leaching and corrosion in water infrastructure, evaluates disinfection and treatment technologies, and uses isotope fingerprinting to trace contamination sources. The team also characterizes how water contamination impacts human health. Working in underserved communities, post-industrial cities, and public schools across the U.S., West Africa, and Southeast Asia, they conduct water quality investigations addressing both routine and disaster-related contamination. Through partnerships with communities, water utilities, and government agencies, the group facilitates citizen science investigations, pilots and implements engineering solutions, and advances policy interventions to reduce contaminated water and lead exposure in the U.S. and globally. Finally, the group is dedicated to science communication, bringing research to life through original storytelling: writing op-eds for major publications, executive producing documentaries and podcasts, and creating narratives that deepen public understanding of science.
Roy received a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with advisor Dr. Marc Edwards from Virginia Tech, where he was named Graduate Student of the Year. His work has won prizes and recognition from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Water Works Association, the Boston Globe, the International Water Association, and the Obama Foundation.
Keywords: Aquatic chemistry; Water quality and treatment; Citizen science; Electrochemistry; Material science; Lead (Pb) exposure; Environmental epidemiology; Global development.
Laboratory: Foran Hall, 59 Dudley Rd, 308, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
email: roy[dot]s[at]rutgers[dot]edu; office: 848-932-5780.
taskforce, scientific cohort, and working groups
World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality 5th edition Guideline Development Group Expert (2026-present).
US Environmental Protection Agency Board of Scientific Counsellors: Social and Community Science subcommittee (2022-present).
NJ Department of Environmental Protection Science Advisory Board: Water Quality and Quantity Committee (2024-present).
Rural Water Supply Network Stop the Rot Action Group Member (2026-present).
Jersey Water Works Lead in Drinking Water Advisory Council (2025-present).
The Obama Foundation Leaders USA cohort.
STAT News and The Boston Globe Wunderkind.
US Water Study research team at Virginia Tech (Founding Member).
research center fellowship and memberships
NIEHS Center for Disaster Resilient Communities at University of Washington Disaster Research Response Fellow.
NSF Center for Climate & Health Research Coordination Network at Boston University and Harvard University GeoCAFÉ Scholar.
NSF Private Well Research Coordination Network at Auburn University Member.
Public Health Extreme Events Research (PHEER) Network Member.
profiles
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2023): Safe Water for All
STAT News (2021): Lessons from a Flint water crisis researcher about building trust in science during the pandemic
International Water Association (2021): Influential scientist wins IWA Young Leadership Award
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2016): Pursuing Science for the Public Good
Page created: 2026. Last Modified: April 01, 2026.