Meeta Pannu, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Orange County Water District

Manmeet "Meeta" Pannu, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist in the Research and Development (R&D) Department of Orange County Water District (OCWD) at OCWD Field Headquarters in Anaheim, California.

Trained as a soil scientist and with prior work experience as a regulator, Dr. Pannu is currently completing research at OCWD related to PFAS. These projects include evaluation of granulated activated carbon (GAC), ion exchange (IX), and alternative adsorbents to remove PFAS from groundwater during wellhead treatment, removal of PFAS during managed aquifer recharge via in-situ adsorption, and alternative methods to measure total PFAS in water samples. OCWD R&D Department conducts applied research that supports the OCWD's operational, regulatory, and water quality objectives through technology evaluation, development of new methods/processes, and collaboration with universities and topic experts.

In her previous work, Dr. Pannu has worked on fate and transport of emerging contaminants like antimicrobial compounds. Dr. Pannu has over 10 years of experience conducting field and laboratory studies.