Amila DeSilva

portrait of Dr. DeSilva
Adjunct Professor
Program
Environment Canada

Amila De Silva (she/her) holds a B.Sc. in Environmental Science – Chemistry (Carleton University), M.Sc. Analytical Chemistry (McGill University) and a PhD Environmental Chemistry (University of Toronto). After graduating, Dr. De Silva completed a 1 year NSERC Visiting Fellowship with the Government of Canada at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters facility located in Burlington, Ontario. Dr. De Silva joined Environment and Climate Change Canada in the Water Science Technology Directorate in 2010 as a research scientist.  Dr. De Silva’s main area of focus is on the environmental chemistry, fate, and transport of organic contaminants.  Using innovative methods, Dr. De Silva has advanced the field of environmental contaminant chemistry. Dr. De Silva is a leader in contaminant fate and transport in the Canadian Arctic. Dr. De Silva applies findings on contaminants from the ecosystem level to global implications. Dr. De Silva’s expertise has contributed to international and domestic policy on chemicals management in the context of environmental protection.  Dr. De Silva has published over 74 peer-reviewed papers on her research. Dr. De Silva serves on the Editorial Board for the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts, is a Board of Director member for the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America, is an elected member in the Royal Society of Canada’s New College, and is the 2021 winner of the inaugural Environment Division Early Career Research Award in the Chemical Institute of Canada.  Dr. De Silva is first generation Canadian and lives in Burlington with her family.