Payal Sarkar

Payal Sarkar
Payal Sarkar is the Senior Environmental Program Manager overseeing laboratory operations at the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF) laboratory, part of the City of San Jose’s Environmental Services Department. One of the largest wastewater labs on the West Coast, the RWF laboratory has a team of 30 chemists and microbiologists conducting 60,000 analyses annually in over 100 fields of analyses. With over 13 years at the RWF laboratory, Payal holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Arizona. During her graduate studies. she was a recipient of the AWWA-sponsored Quentin Mees Research Award and first place for Best Paper in Water Research for her work on inactivating Naegleria fowleri(a brain eating amoeba) in well water supplies. As the City’s Wastewater-Based Epidemiology lead, Payal played a key role in San Jose’s participation in the WWSCAN program, coordinating with Stanford University and Verily Sciences and in implementing a molecular microbiology program at the RWF laboratory. Her contributions to this collaboration earned her the Director’s All-Star Award.

Contact Information: [email protected]; 408-635-4067