Silvia Mancini, PhD, PGeo
Silvia Mancini is a Senior Principal Geoscientist based in Ontario with more than 20 years of experience focused on innovative solutions in site characterization, water management, treatment on mining and metals, manufacturing, oil and gas, and legal sectors. She is Senior Services Director for Water, Engineering, and Mining Services for our Canadian Operations.
Specialties
Innovative Technology Development, Treatability and Pilot Studies, Site Management Strategy, Multidisciplinary Projects and Teams, Litigation Support, Water Treatment, Geochemical Characterization, Forensics, Bioremediation, Isotope Geochemistry
Practice Areas
Water Management
Education
PhD, Geology, University of Toronto, Toronto, 2007; MSc, Geology University of Toronto, Toronto, 2002; BSc (Hons), Biological Sciences (Biology), University of Toronto, 2000
Registration
Professional Geoscientist, Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario, Member No. 2534; Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of British Columbia, Member No. 51389 (July 2020 to January 2024)
Client Service
While Silvia’s client service spans several sectors, she specializes in working hand-in-hand with her clients to develop water management and site closure strategies including identifying, testing, designing, and employing innovative technologies at challenging sites. Her experience includes treating challenging constituents such as selenium, nitrate, cyanide, herbicides, pesticides, solvents, and hydrocarbons. Silvia has helped her clients direct and manage remediation programs using technologies such as passive and semipassive water treatment systems, in situ bioremediation, compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA), in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) injections, smoldering combustion (STAR), and permeable reactive barriers (PRBs).
She supports clients by applying passive and semi-passive water treatment technologies to create appropriate solutions that are acceptable by regulatory agencies, that can be applied cost effectively, and that can be used at sites with remote considerations or power limitations. Gravel bed reactors (GBR), engineered wetlands, in situ biotreatment, and permeable reactive barriers are examples of technologies that can be considered at these challenging sites.
Silvia is a subject-matter expert in CSIA, which was the subject of her doctoral research. This technology can be used as an environmental forensics and diagnostic tool to evaluate sources and understand degradation mechanisms of constituents of interest. She provides expert opinions and peer reviews in legal matters related to CSIA, where isotope geochemistry is applied as a line of evidence for source differentiation or remedial performance.
To advance the state of the practice, Silvia participates as an expert on several advisory panels for mine water management and treatment and supports international, multidisciplinary projects involving multiple consultants, engineering firms, regulatory, rightsholders, and client stakeholders.
In addition, Silvia stays involved in teaching and research initiatives through university collaborations and her adjunct professorship at the University of Toronto’s Department of Earth Sciences. She has published more than 17 articles on biotreatment of metals and inorganics, bioremediation of organic contaminants in groundwater, and the use of isotope geochemistry at contaminated sites. She also manages government research programs focused on innovative technologies. These programs include the Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) as well as the United States Department of Defense Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP).
Contact Silvia at SMancini@Geosyntec.com or +1 416-637-8745.
