Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2004
  • M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2002
  • B.S., Biology, College of William and Mary, 1997
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Civil, California, #79732
  • Professional Engineer, North Carolina, #050886
  • Professional Engineer Civil, Texas, #138126
Professional Honors
  • National Water Resources Institute, Fellowship 2002 and 2003
Professional Affiliations
  • American Water Works Association 2000-present

Dr. Rackl is a scientist and environmental engineer with a broad interdisciplinary technical and academic background in engineering, microbiology, chemistry, and ecology. 

Dr. Rackl excels at gathering and interpreting interdisciplinary technical data and communicating its relevance to regulators, boards of directors, investors, legal counsel, and policy makers. Her research and work experience have focused on evaluating technologies and practices related to water quality, water treatment, wastewater, and constituents in soils and sediment. Through numerous projects with the CalFed Water Quality Program, she developed an expertise in water supply and quality and treatment challenges in California. Dr. Rackl also specializes in federal and state regulatory matters, including the Clean Water Act and California's Proposition 65. She has applied her expertise to the development of new products and business case analyses, and she has extensive expertise in the research, development, manufacturing scale-up, and registration of biopesticides. 

Dr. Rackl specializes in evaluating water quality from source to tap and optimizing water quality through advanced treatment technologies. Dr. Rackl has assisted numerous clients in her core academic research areas of disinfection optimization and the minimization of disinfection by-products.  She has evaluated disinfection and microbial control strategies for opportunistic pathogens, including Mycobacterium avium complex and Legionella, in drinking water and for large facilities such as hotels and hospitals. Dr. Rackl has investigated drinking water distribution systems and storage facilities to understand potential sources and causes of microbial contamination.

Dr. Rackl's Proposition 65 and product stewardship work has focused on supporting clients in understanding and addressing current and anticipated future regulations for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), 1,4-dioxane, and other chemicals. Dr. Rackl works with her clients to identify the presence of PFAS in their products and develop strategies to identify and eliminate the sources.  Dr. Rackl has developed numerous Proposition 65 compliance and product stewardship programs for companies with extensive product lines, including both common consumer household and office products and specialty industrial products. Dr. Rackl supports companies in developing supply chain strategies and works with companies to develop tools to maintain sustainable product stewardship programs.  

Using the knowledge and skills Dr. Rackl developed while working as product manager and group director of a biopesticide company, she has assisted other biopesticide and antimicrobial companies in product development strategies, regulatory package submissions, communications with the EPA and California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), and numerous registration and regulatory compliance challenges.