Jaita Saha recently earned her Master of Applied Science (MASc) degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Waterloo, where she was supervised by Dr. Peter Huck and Dr. Sigrid Peldszus. She now works as a Process Engineer-in-Training at AECOM in Burnaby, BC, focusing on municipal water and wastewater treatment.
Jaita was a member of the Microplastics Fingerprinting research project, a multidisciplinary initiative involving over 30 team members, including faculty, graduate students, and support staff. The team’s diverse expertise brings a holistic perspective to tackling the complex challenges of plastic pollution.
Jaita's research analyzed data from full-scale drinking water treatment plant surveys and bench-scale studies to assess the presence and removal of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs). She examined how factors like size, shape, and polymer type influenced MNP abundance and removal efficiency. Her findings highlighted inconsistences caused by variations in MNP properties, analysis methods, and treatment processes, underscoring the need for standardized sampling, quantification, and reporting techniques. She also explored the potential toxicological effects of MNPs in drinking water, reviewed existing regulations, and proposed a regulatory framework to address these concerns.
Growing up in a small city, Jaita became deeply concerned about environmental sustainability and plastic pollution. Her interests in microplastics research stems from a desire to understand their impacts on ecosystems and human health and to find ways to reduce their presence in the environment.
Currently Jaita is actively involved in water and wastewater treatment plant design and assessment projects across the Greater Metro Vancouver area. She hopes to contribute to microplastics-related initiatives in the industry and pursue future research in this field.