EXPERIENCE:              

  SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE, SAN ANTONIO , TEXAS , USA

                                                Senior Research Scientist                               03/02 to 04/06

                                                Research Scientist                                           06/98 to 03/02

                                                Performed independent research to support characterization of the hydrogeologic system in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain , Nevada . This work was performed to support the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) review of the impending US Department of Energy’s (DOE) licence application to operate a high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain .

Responsibilities include:

·         Recently appointed Principal Investigator on a team studying the effects of future repository heating on the movement of water in and around repository drifts. The quantity and chemistry of groundwater entering drifts can accelerate the degradation of engineered barriers at the repository. The annual budget for the project is approximately USD $800,000.

 Responsibilities include:

§         Performing independent research on the thermal hydrology of the repository site

§          Coordinating the research activities of the group

§         Preparing the annual Operations Plan for the group

§         Communicating the activities of the group and related items of interest (including DOE activities) to senior management and the client

·         Member of a team conducting research to better characterize the movement of groundwater flow in the saturated zone in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain , Nevada . The saturated groundwater flow system is one potential pathway along which radio nuclides breaching the engineered barrier system at the repository may reach the accessible environment.

 Achievements include:

§         Coordinated the development of a hydro-geophysical program to support characterization of the geology and hydrology along the projected groundwater flow path. Results of this characterization activity will lead to improved predictions of the (i) groundwater flow path from the site and (ii) radionuclide transport times. Both are important for assessing the performance of the repository.

                                   Principal Scientific Investigator for the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP), West Valley , New York .

                        Responsibilities included:

·         Advising US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff on technical and regulatory issues related to the US Department of Energy (DOE) strategy for decommissioning site

·         Conducting technical analyses at the site on behalf of NRC.

      Achievements include:

§         Development of an easy to use geographic information system for the site that fully integrates the guidance contained under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other supplemental guidance recommended by NRC

§         Lead the development of a high-resolution digital elevation model for West Valley , New York that will be used to assess long-term erosion at the site

§         Reviewed portions of the DOE decommissioning performance assessment for the site and identified several important technical deficiencies in the approach proposed

§         Developed technical proposals that were funded by the NRC (approximately $250,000 from 1999 through 2001)

                                                Principal Scientific Investigator on a project to develop strategies and methodologies to support long-term sustainable management of coastal karst aquifer systems in the Caribbean . Project participants include the Water Resources Authority of Jamaica, the Barbados Water Authority, the Antigua Public Utilities Authority, the University of the West Indies , and the Barbados Ministry of the Environment. This project supports institutional strengthening of regional water management authorities and is being funded over three years (approximately USD $400,000) by the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development, Organization of American States (OAS). Responsibilities include:

·         Developing and planning the scientific and engineering approaches necessary to achieve the project objectives

·         Developing technical reports documenting the progress of the project

·         Interacting with tertiary institutions and water management organizations to assess their technical capacity for implementing the methodologies and strategies developed under the project

·         Developing water management training programs to support building institutional capacity in the Caribbean

 Achievements include:

§         Developed the framework and initial draft proposal for the project

§         Primary author and coauthor of several presentations and publication documenting the technical accomplishments of the project

§         Developed the framework and proposal for an international groundwater symposium held during May 2003 in Barbados

§         Helped secured the placement of three individuals to tertiary institutions as part of the institutional strengthening component of the project

§         Developed a prototype mobile GIS application for the pocket pc computing environment that supports real-time groundwater well data collection and decision-making. System is being considered for deployment by water utilities involved in the project

§         Coordinated an international groundwater symposium that was held in Barbados in 2003 designed to foster hydrology research collaborations between the Caribbean region and the international community.

                                                 Principal Scientific Investigator and Project Manager for a Southwest Research Institute internal research and development project designed to improve subsurface imaging using non-invasive geophysical methods. Project funding was approximately $150,000. Methodology developed has the potential to delineate subsurface contamination. Responsibilities included:

·         Developing and planning the scientific and engineering approaches necessary to achieve the project objectives

                                                Principal Scientific Investigator on a project to support mapping groundwater quality in the New Forest/Duff House region of southern Jamaica. This project used a suite of geophysical techniques to map hydrogeologic features at the project site including depth to water (determined to be over 100 m deep) and water quality. The results of this project supported the National Irrigation Commission of Jamaica in its design and implementation of an irrigation system for the project area. Funding for this component of the project was approximately USD 40,000.

                                                Responsibilities include:

·         Negotiating the contract between Southwest Research Institute and the National Irrigation Commission of Jamaica

·         Project planning and reporting

·         Managing the data collection phase of the project

·         Data analysis and interpretation

                                                Member of a committee developed as part of a Memorandum of Understanding between US Federal Agencies to develop standards and frameworks for environmental assessment software used by these agencies. Responsibilities included:

·         Meeting with other committee members to identify standards and frameworks

·         Reporting on the progress of the committee to senior management and the NRC

  UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA , WINNIPEG , MANITOBA , CANADA

                                                Graduate Research Assistant (Professional)    01/90 to 09/97

                                                Provided technical support to the Province of Manitoba on a groundwater development project in a rural farming community. Developed a model to simulate groundwater flow in an aquifer system. Model supports development of a groundwater management policy for the aquifer system.

                                                Provided technical support to staff on a project to support groundwater development in Morocco . Helped in the development, and calibration of a model to support groundwater flow in the aquifer system. Model was to be used in the development of a long-term groundwater management strategy.

                                                Graduate Research Assistant (Academic)        01/90 to 05/97

                                                Performed graduate level research on the effects of transient groundwater flow on contaminant transport in aquifer systems. M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees achieved for this area of research. In addition, several research articles were published on this work.

                                                Assistant Lecturer                                            1994 and 1997

                                                Taught courses in contaminant hydrology to undergraduate engineering students. Developed the course outline and lecture materials. Developed and graded the exams. Received high marks from the students taking the course.

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