Assistant Professor, Human Centered Design & Engineering

Research focus

Drinking water treatment, water quality engineering, environmental chemistry, technology design and implementation

Education

Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2017
M.S. Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2013
B.S., Environmental Sciences, Energy & Resources, and Global Poverty & Practice, University of California, Berkeley, 2012

Katya Cherukumilli joins Human Centered Design & Engineering this September from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a postdoctoral scholar. Prior to her role in HCDE, she worked at the UW’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering as a lecturer and commercialization postdoctoral fellow.

Cherukumilli studies the prevalence of natural and anthropogenic chemical contaminants in drinking water supplies to assess risk exposure and mitigate the associated disease burden. She is interested in designing and deploying water quality monitoring and treatment technologies that are equitable, affordable, usable, and scalable. Cherukumilli also leads Global Water Labs, a nonprofit organization aiming to advance access to safe drinking water through innovation and technology transfer.