Stefano Normani

Stefano Normani

Contact information

Phone: 519-888-4567 x35264
Location: E2 3317

Website

Stefano Normani

Biography summary

Dr. Normani is an expert in computational hydrogeology, specializing in the analysis and simulation of local to regional-scale groundwater systems. He works at the forefront of research into the development and application of computer models for analyzing the sustainability of groundwater resources, contaminant fate and transport, nuclear waste isolation, and climate change impacts. He has been collaborating with industry and government sectors for over 20 years solving challenging groundwater problems.

Tools such as GIS (Geographic Information Systems), environmental databases, multi-dimensional scientific visualization, and HPC (High Performance Computing) are applied in combination with advanced multi-physics computational models for simulating coupled density-dependent groundwater flow, solute transport, hydro-mechanics, and multi-phase flow in porous and fractured media.

Currently, Dr. Normani and his team are focusing on the characterization of sedimentary and fractured crystalline rock settings in Canada for radioactive waste isolation and the assessment of geosphere stability over time scales which include the growth and retreat of continental scale ice-sheets.

Research interests

  • Development and application of advanced multi-physics computational models for simulating groundwater flow and transport in porous and fractured media.
  • Developing techniques and tools for coupling hydrological, groundwater, water quality, engineering, and meteorological models.
  • Paleohydrogeological modelling of the impact of continental ice-sheets on pore fluid migration at depth in both sedimentary and crystalline rock settings.
  • Development and implementation of sensitivity, uncertainty and calibration methods to the modelling of environmental systems.
  • Application of High Performance Computing (HPC) to environmental modelling from the micro to the macro scale and advanced scientific visualization of complex environmental datasets.

Education

  • 2009, Doctorate, Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo
  • 1998, Master of Applied Science, Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo
  • 1995, Bachelor of Applied Science, Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo

Selected/recent publications

  • Yin, Yong and Sykes, Jonathan F and Normani, Stefano D, Impacts of spatial and temporal recharge on field-scale contaminant transport model calibration, Journal of Hydrology, 527, 2015, 77 - 87
  • Fischer, Urs H and Bebiolka, Anke and Brandefelt, Jenny and Follin, Sven and Hirschorn, Sarah and Jensen, Mark and Keller, Siegfried and Kennel lL, Näslund JO and Normani, S and Selroos, JO and others, Radioactive waste under conditions of future ice ages, Snow and Ice-related Hazards, Risks and Disasters, Haeberli W, Whiteman C (eds). Elsevier: Amsterdam, 2014, 345 - 393
  • Sykes, Jonathan F and Normani, Stefano D and Yin, Yong and Jensen, Mark R, The hydrogeologic environment for a proposed deep geologic repository in Canada for low and intermediate level radioactive waste-59285, , 2012
  • Normani, SD and Sykes, JF, Paleohydrogeologic simulations of Laurentide ice-sheet history on groundwater at the eastern flank of the Michigan Basin, Geofluids, 12(1), 2012, 97 - 122
  • Sykes, JF and Normani, SD and Yin, Y, Hydrogeologic modelling, Report NWMO DGR-TR-2011-16, Nuclear Waste Management Organization, Toronto, Canada. Available at URL: http://www. ceaa-acee. gc. ca/050/documents/56540 E, 56540, 2011

Graduate studies