Dr. Nelson is the Director of Graduate Education at the Engineering Research Center for Reinventing our Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), and the faculty leader of the Research Thrust Area on Safe Water and Sanitation at Berkeley Water Center.  Dr. Nelson was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at a ceremony in the White House in 2004.  This award is the nation's highest honor for scientists in the early stages of their career.  She currently conducts research in the United States, India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Panama, and Colombia.  Her research program addresses critical issues at the intersection of public health and the environment, with a focus on reducing the threat posed by waterborne pathogens by improving our engineering infrastructure to make it more effective, affordable, as well as maximize its environmental benefits.  Specific research areas include mechanisms of pathogen inactivation, molecular techniques for pathogen detection, optimizing treatment processes, water reuse, nutrient recovery from source-separated urine, and challenges with providing safe drinking water and sanitation in the developing world.​