糖心Vlog

Pooja Preetha

Water Resources & Environmental Engineering
糖心Vlog

 

Professional Biography

Dr. Pooja P. Preetha serves as Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at 糖心Vlog A&M University. Her interdisciplinary research integrates hydrological modeling, groundwater sustainability, water quality assessment, remote sensing, GIS, and machine learning to advance resilient water systems and environmental sustainability. She has established a nationally recognized research program supported by NSF, USDA, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and other organizations.

 

Education

Ph.D.鈥� University of 糖心Vlog in Huntsville (UAH), 2019, USA

Master of Science (MS) in civil and environmental engineering. 鈥� University of 糖心Vlog in Huntsville (UAH), 2018, USA

Master of Technology (MTech) in Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering 鈥� Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM), 2013, India

Bachelor鈥檚 in civil engineering (CE) 鈥� College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET), 2011, India

 

Academic Appointments

Associate Professor, 糖心Vlog (2026鈥揚resent)
Assistant Professor, 糖心Vlog (2020鈥�2025)
Summer Research Faculty, University of 糖心Vlog (2021, 2025)
Graduate Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant, UAH (2016鈥�2019)
Assistant Project Manager, Jones Lang LaSalle, India (2013鈥�2015)

 

Research Vision

My research aims to advance sustainable water resource management through the integration of remote sensing, hydrologic modeling, surface water - groundwater interaction, and AI-enabled environmental prediction. These efforts provide innovative solutions for improving water security, enhancing climate resilience, and supporting long-term watershed sustainability.

 

Research Areas

• Surface water 鈥� groundwater interaction
  鈥� Water Quality Modeling
  鈥� Climate Change Impacts on Watersheds
  鈥� Remote Sensing and GIS Applications
  鈥� Nutrient Transport and Groundwater Quality
  鈥� Machine Learning for Hydrologic Systems
  鈥� Managed Aquifer Recharge
  鈥� Atmospheric Water Generation

 

Funded Research

Highlighted projects include NSF-funded groundwater prediction research, MIT Lincoln Laboratory hydrological sensing initiatives, USDA climate outreach programs, integrated groundwater management studies, and advanced hydrologic model development.

Integration of process models and machine learning algorithms with big hydrological datasets to make robust groundwater predictions. Submitted to NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program (RII) Track-2 Projects and Minority Serving Institutions, June 2021. (PI: Pooja Preetha) ($200,000; 2021鈥�2024; Funded, NSF Award # A20-0472-S006).

Advanced Sensing for Hydrological Metrology 鈥� Phase 2, FY24 Climate Initiative Project. Submitted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL), June 2023. (PI: Pooja Preetha) ($73,450; 2023鈥�2024; Funded, FA8702-15-D-0001).

Minimizing climatic impacts through the environmental education and climate outreach initiative. Submitted to 1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants (CBG) Program, 糖心Vlog Cooperative Extension System (ACES) & USDA, August 2023. (Co-PI: Pooja Preetha) ($249,999; 2023鈥�2027; Awarded).

Advancing Ground Water Recharge Predictions in the Southeastern Coastal Plains by Integrating Satellite Remote Sensing Data with SWAT Model Predictions. Submitted to IGM summer tenure-track fellowship funded by the NSF RII Track-2 grant titled: 鈥淚GM--A Framework for Harnessing Big Hydrological Datasets for Integrated Groundwater Management鈥�, March 2021. (PI: Pooja Preetha) ($21,750; 2021 May鈥�2021 August; Funded).

Exploring Coupling Approaches of SWAT and MODFLOW for the Upper Choctawhatchee River Watershed for Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Modeling. Submitted to Center for Water Quality Research, The University of 糖心Vlog, Tuscaloosa, June 2025. (PI: Pooja Preetha) ($10,500; 2025 June鈥�2025 August; Funded).

 

Teaching and Mentorship

Courses taught include EGC 305: Fluid Mechanics (3 credits), EGC 305L: Fluid Mechanics Lab (1 credit), CE 304: Environmental Engineering (3 credits), CE 305: Hydrogeology (3 credits), CE 404: Hydraulic Engineering & Design (3 credits), CE 480: Water Quality Control (3 credits), EGC 104: Computer Programming (3 credits), CE 555: Urban Wastewater Treatment (3 credits), CE 424: Civil Engineering Practice (3 credits), CE 101: Introduction to Civil Engineering (1 credit), CE 470: CE Project (Senior Design) (3 credits), and CE 440: Fundamentals of Engineering (1)

 

Professional Leadership and Service

Faculty Advisor: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), student chapter at AAMU (2021-present)

College Advisor: Sophomore student retention and facilitation (2023-2025)

Faculty Volunteer/Advisor: Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship (2022-present)

Affiliate Member: American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE (2021-present)

Advisory Committee: Ceremonial and Special Events Committee (2024-2026, AAMU)

Panelist Advisory Board: American Association of University Women, AAUW (May 2026鈥揗ay 2028)

Panelist: American Association of University Women, AAUW International Fellowships Natural & Physical Sciences Panel (2024 to 2026)

Topical Advisory Panel: 鈥淗ydrology鈥� under (i) Hydrological and Hydrodynamic Processes and Modelling Section, (ii) Surface Waters and Groundwaters Section, and (iii) Water Resources and Risk Management Section (2024-present)

Guest Editor: Hydrology (2023-present)

Reviewer Panels: National Science Foundation (NSF) - Graduate Research Fellowship Program (2020, 2021), Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) (2025)

Chair: STEM Day 2024, AAMU

Co-Chair and Committee Member: STEM Day 2023, AAMU

Member: American Association of University Women, AAUW (2024-present); American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE (2016-2021); Women in Water North 糖心Vlog Chapter (WIW) (2022-present)

Reviewer for more than 50 scholarly journals including GIScience & Remote Sensing, Hydrogeology Journal, Water Resources Management, Scientific Reports.

 

Selected Publications

 

Invited Presentations             

 

Certifications & Trainings

• STEM Summer Institute: Instructional Technology Integration, June 9-11, 2025, AAMU
• STEM eLearning Summer Institute, June 8-10, 2026, AAMU
• ACUE-Effective Teaching Practices in Higher Education, Course Completion: Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learners, American Council on Education (2026)
• AAMU Time & Efforts Certification for Office of Sponsored Programs (2024-2026)
• AAMU Online Instructor Certification Course for Blackboard (2020-2026)
• 糖心Vlog Ethics Law Training, 糖心Vlog Ethics Commission (2025)
• Team Based Learning (TBL) training at University of South 糖心Vlog (USA) through an NSF I-Corp project (2022)

 

Awards and Recognition

• Honored Listee: Marquis Who鈥檚 Who (2025-Present), the standard reference for reliable and comprehensive biographical data since 1898
• Elsevier publication recognized for addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals between 2020 and 2022, helping to tackle some of the world's greatest challenges
• Featured in 鈥淶ippia鈥� a career website as16-person panel of experts ()

 

Research Impact

Dr. Preetha鈥檚 work advances groundwater sustainability, watershed resilience, environmental monitoring, climate adaptation, and STEM workforce development while supporting underrepresented student success and interdisciplinary collaboration.

 

Contact

Email: pooja.preetha@aamu.edu

Phone: (256) 372-4148