About

Silvia Meniconi, Ph.D., is a Full Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia. She has been actively involved in academia and research, specializing in hydraulic systems and transient flow phenomena. She holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (Hydraulics) from the University of Perugia, where she defended a thesis on the characterization of pressurized pipeline systems through unsteady flow tests. She was also a Marie Curie Research Fellow at Eindhoven University of Technology. Before becoming a Full Professor, she served as Associate Professor and Assistant Professor in Hydraulics at the same institution.

Career Type:

Scientist/Researcher/Academic

Organization Type:

Universities and Academia

Expertise Fields/Interests:

• Diagnosis of Water Distribution Systems: Development of transient-based techniques for detecting leaks, partial blockages, illegal connections, and other anomalies in pressurized pipelines. • Transient Flow Modeling: Advanced numerical and experimental approaches to simulate unsteady flows in both metallic and polymeric pipes, with special attention to viscoelastic effects and unsteady friction. • Sustainable Water Resource Management: Design of strategies and tools to reduce energy consumption, improve water quality, and enhance operational reliability in urban water networks. • Hydraulic Infrastructure Monitoring: High-frequency data analysis, real-time anomaly detection, and field-scale testing of portable devices for pipeline surveys. • Modeling of Aquifers and Lakes: Integration of global atmospheric reanalysis datasets with ground-based measurements to simulate and forecast water-level dynamics, supporting resource management under climate variability. • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Integration of hydraulic research with microbiology, atmospheric physics, and data science to address complex challenges in civil and environmental engineering.

Major Achievements:

• Leading National & International Projects: Principal Cooridinator (PC) or Co- Investigator (Co-I) in major research endeavors: PC (2024–2027) of the European MORE4WATER (Water4All/JPI) project aimed at integrated drought mitigation through reanalysis data and on-site monitoring; Co-I (2023–2025) in the PRIN2022 project “TANDEM” (Hybrid Transient-machine learning approach for ANomaly DEtection and classification in water transmission Mains), focusing on advanced wave-based detection integrated with machine learning methods; Co-I (2015–2020) of the Hong Kong–funded Smart UWSS (Urban Water Supply System) program, a multi-year initiative bringing together top institutions to enhance pipeline-network diagnostics; PC (2014–2017) of the Italian PRIN2012 project on advanced water-loss management • Water Resources Research 2021 Editors’ Choice Award for the publication: Meniconi, S., et al. (2021). Leak detection in a real transmission main through transient tests: deeds misdeeds. Water Resources Research, AGU, 57(3), e2020WR027838 – doi: 10.1029/2020WR027838. This publication also received the Top Cited Article Award. • Innovation in Leak Detection: Co-inventor of a portable pressure-wave device for safe and precise anomaly localization in pipelines, honored with the Sustainability Award at the XIII International Water Exhibition (H2O).. • High-Impact Research Publications: Over 250 publications in leading journals, conference proceedings, and books in hydraulics, fluid mechanics, and water resources. Over 140 contributions to indexed journals, attaining a robust citation record and global academic visibility. • Associate Editor for leading journals such as the Journal of Hydraulic Engineering (ASCE) and the Journal of Hydraulic Research (IAHR). • Chair of the IAHR Working Group on Transient Flows, together with numerous invited lectures at major international conferences.