Kara Nelson, PhD

Kara Nelson, PhD is the Blum Chancellor's Chair in Development Engineering and a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Nelson’s research program studies practices for wastewater-based epidemiology, water reuse, disinfection, nutrient recovery, and international WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), which draw on her expertise in a wide range of treatment processes including filtration, membranes, ion exchange, and disinfection with UV, sunlight, and ammonia. Nelson teaches courses on innovation in the water sector, drinking water and wastewater treatment processes, pathogen detection and inactivation, and natural treatment systems. She has a BA in Biophysics from University of California, Berkeley; an MSE in Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington; and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from University of California, Davis.