Abstract:
Marcia Silva’s Research Group’s goal is to address the interrelated problems in a food-energy-water-waste nexus and helping to build smart resilient communities and smart and connected communities through sustainable technological innovations. Her approach is to tackle environmental issues through multidisciplinary lenses, and she has done significant contributions to the water, agriculture, and sensors fields. She has published in multiple journal papers and her research has led to 20 Invention Disclosures, patents and 3 licensing agreements. She is a strong contributor to technology translation and commercialization through outstanding industrial partnership.
In this talk, Dr. Silva will go over some of her present and past research efforts as well as highlighting big open questions in her field and future avenues for research.
Biosketch:
Dr. Marcia R. Silva has strong entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for innovation. Silva has more than 29 years of industrial, academic, and technology accelerator experience combined, has authored several journal papers and book chapters, and has presented her work at national and international conferences. Dr. Silva currently holds an Assoc. Scientist position and Director with the UWM Water Technology Accelerator (WaTA) and manages the Nanofabrication and Microscopy Facility (NMF) at the Innovation Campus at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM). Her science has generated 20 Invention Disclosures and Patents to date, and 3 licensing agreements. Dr. Silva also holds an Adj. Professor position with the UWM CEAS Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and UWM School of Freshwater Sciences. Since 2013, Dr. Silva took on the huge task of creating the water research facility associated with the rise of the Global Water Center in Milwaukee. She has been instrumental in the success of the research arm for the Global Water Center and have impacted the research reputations of UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science and School of Freshwater Sciences. She has received the UWM Graduate of the Last Decade Award for this achievement in 2017. Dr. Silva is actively engaged in Milwaukee Water Hub and several international Water Hubs. She has also received the Water Warrior Award in 2018 for her outstanding leadership, innovation, and dedication to Milwaukee’s water industry. Through her science, she has mentored over 120 researchers to date from Engineering, Freshwater Sciences, Chemistry, Biology, Conservation & Environmental Science and Business. Dr. Silva’s research lies at the interface of materials sciences and environmental engineering and seeks (a) to develop nano-enabled filtration technologies; (b) to develop real-time sensors for biofilm, biological and chemical molecules, and (c) to develop or evaluate intervention, removal, and remediation technologies for environmental emerging contaminants. The overarching goal of her research is to address the interrelated problems in a food-energy-water-waste nexus, supporting environmental sustainability, and helping to build smart resilient communities and smart and connected communities.