Dr. Ingrid Padilla, Project 4 Leader, has been appointed a member of the Navy Research Advisory Committee (NRAC), a civilian scientific advisory group that provides objective scientific analyses to the U.S. Navy. The NRAC advises and provides recommendations to the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the Chief of Naval Research. These recommendations focus on research, development, acquisition, and operations that help shape public policy and the decision-making process regarding the Department of the Navy’s science and technology needs and direction at the national level.
The NRAC consists of fifteen members preeminent in the fields of science, research, and development. They are drawn from industry, academia, and research institutions, with one member each cycle specializing in medicine. Appointments last for two years and consist of regular quarterly meetings as well as special meetings called by the Committee Chairperson.
Dr. Padilla brings expertise in environmental and water resources engineering to the NRAC, as well as prior experience serving on review panels for the National Science Foundation and the National Research Council. She will continue to serve as Director of the Environmental Engineering Laboratory (EEL) at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, as well as leading PROTECT’s Project 4 in research on transport and exposure pathways of phthalates and trichloroethylene in the Puerto Rico karst aquifer system.
Congratulations, Ingrid!