Dr. Nasim Pica is an environmental engineer and technical advisor with expertise in fate, transport and treatment of emerging contaminants like PFAS, GenX and 1,4 dioxane. She currently serves as co-principal investigator on a research project for the Department of Defense’s Strategic Environmental R&D program (SERDP), for which she developed an R code to predict unknown PFAS molecular formulas. Her expertise extends to chlorinated solvents, wastewater treatment systems, state and federal drinking water regulations and data analysis. She is passionate about combating environmental issues and leading innovative projects to protect public health from contaminants.
Why CDM Smith? My first encounter with CDM Smith was through a PFAS expert. Being in academia for more than 13 years I was amazed to know how scientific and research-based the people that work at CDM Smith are.
What inspires you? Learning new subjects and applying it in different fields.
What is your favorite part of your job? I love educating impacted stakeholders and helping to clean our environment.
What's something you enjoy doing on your day off? If I have a day off with no work, I’d make some tea and paint.
What's your personal motto? PFAS is a problem, not the problem! It's important to emphasize sustainable remedies over quick ones.
My introduction to CDM Smith was through peer-reviewed publications on PFAS. The level of science-based work amazed me.
Did you know?
Nasim worked with the Water Sustainability Fellows Program at Colorado State University, helping underrepresented-background students launch water-related careers.
