Charles E. Schaefer, Jr., Ph.D.

Charles Schaefer is an envi­ron­men­tal scientist and the director of CDM Smith's Bellevue, Washington research and testing laboratory with a wide array of experience in fate and transport of organic cont­a­m­i­nants in soil and bedrock.

He is a leading researcher in the treatment of per- and poly­flu­o­roalkyl substances (PFAS), such as perflu­o­rooc­tanoic acid (PFOA) and perflu­o­rooc­tane sulfonate (PFOS). Charles has served as a principal inves­ti­ga­tor on several research grants, including projects of the Strategic Envi­ron­men­tal Research and Development Program (SERDP), as well as the Envi­ron­men­tal Security Technology Certi­fi­ca­tion Program (ESTCP).

In addition, Charles has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and is an active member of the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC). His honors include the SERDP/ESTCP Project of the Year awards in 2013 and 2018.

The ability to work on innovative and industry-changing research is a key motivator for the research that Charles does. “CDM Smith emphasizes technical excellence and is filled with excep­tion­ally bright and motivated people,” he says regarding his time at the firm.