MacKenzie Bromstad

Background

About MacKenzie Bromstad

I am a senior geochemist with 16 years of mining experience in industry and as an environmental consultant providing geochemistry services to mining clients. I specialize in mine waste geochemical characterization, acid rock drainage and metal leaching assessments, custom mineralogical investigations, and geochemical modelling. I design, lead, and review characterization and forensic geochemistry programs, and am skilled in developing site-specific conceptual models, adapting programs to support water quality and reactive transport modelling, and supporting risk assessment, remediation, and closure activities. I use my expertise in mineralogy and geochemical characterization to adapt advanced mineralogical methods to challenging and novel environmental materials, including organic-rich oil sands mine wastes, clay-rich materials, metalliferous biofilms, and organic-rich metal precipitates in wetlands. I am passionate about communication and outreach, technical quality, mentoring, and designing fit-for-purpose programs to meet client needs. I add value to projects through her holistic approach to characterization, ability to appropriately balance high-level and detailed perspectives, and mindful integration of innovative methods. My mining industry experience includes metal, oil sands, coal, diamond, and uranium mines, stretching from exploration to mine closure and remediation. I have also worked as a freelance editor of academic earth science manuscripts, as a project geologist working in remote mineral exploration (gold and VMS), and as a lecturer for an undergraduate geochemistry course at the University of Regina. My 10+ year history of work on the Giant Mine Remediation Project and historic arsenic contamination around Yellowknife began with my graduate training under Dr. Heather Jamieson at Queen's University. I have hands-on experience with synchrotron and automated scanning electron microscope (SEM) mineralogical techniques, integration of GIS spatial analysis with geochemistry, and a variety of skills related to my time in industry (e.g, geologic logging, target selection, 3-D modelling, project management). I love a good challenge, value the opportunity to use my creativity help solve real-world geochemical puzzles, and am passionate about both working to improve environmental outcomes and cultivating a strong, collaborative team environment. I am legally able to work in both Canada and the United States.