Nikki DeLuca

Nicole (Nikki) M. DeLuca is a research environmental scientist in RTI’s Center for Environmental Health, Risk, and Sustainability (CEHRS). Dr. DeLuca is an experienced interdisciplinary scientist who specializes in using data science, predictive modeling, data visualization, and technical writing for topics ranging from the natural sciences to public and environmental health. She has experience with laboratory, field, and computational research. Dr. DeLuca is passionate about developing creative and efficient solutions for critical issues and communicating results effectively to various audiences.

Dr. DeLuca currently supports projects at RTI related to children's health, water quality, environmental health, and exposure science. Specifically, her work focuses on dietary and beverage consumption exposures to PFAS and other contaminants as well as supporting a large participatory science program aiming to mitigate chemical exposures from drinking water in childcare facilities and schools across North Carolina and Georgia.

Prior to joining RTI, Dr. DeLuca worked as a Postdoctoral Physical Scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development where she applied her expertise in environmental science, chemistry, machine learning, statistical analysis, and geospatial analysis to address a range of exposure science and risk assessment research problems. Her research on exposure to poly-and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pathways was directly used to inform drinking water health advisory policies.