September 10, 2026
Dr. Schifano brings extensive forensic geotechnical engineering expertise to Exponent's Civil & Structural Engineering practice in New York
We are pleased to welcome geotechnical expert Vito Schifano, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng., CEng, to our New York office as a principal engineer in our Civil & Structural Engineering practice. Dr. Schifano has extensive experience in geotechnical consulting, design, construction management, and forensic investigations in the mining, environmental, waste, infrastructure, buildings, and water sectors.
Forensic geotechnical engineering
Dr. Schifano is a geotechnical engineer with more than 25 years of international experience and extensive expertise in forensic geotechnical engineering. He has led over 300 investigations involving tunnels, mine tailings facilities, deep excavations, foundations, slopes, retaining structures, and infrastructure systems, supporting insurers, legal teams, and project stakeholders with failure analyses, expert reports, causation assessments, and expert witness testimony in litigation and arbitration proceedings.
Dr. Schifano also has experience in engineering design, remediation, closure, and forensic evaluation of waste disposal facilities, including mine tailings storage facilities, landfills, coal ash impoundments, contaminated sediment sites, and industrial waste repositories. He has led multidisciplinary projects involving facility design, stability assessments, containment systems, remediation technologies, and failure investigations, with specialized expertise in soft waste materials, tailings management, solidification/stabilization, and long-term closure and reclamation strategies.
"I am excited to bring my expertise in geotechnical engineering and forensic analysis to Exponent to help solve some of the most challenging problems facing builders, developers, mining operators, and energy companies."
— Vito Schifano, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng., CEng
Principal Engineer
Civil & Structural Engineering
Academic research
Dr. Schifano has a distinguished academic and research background in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. He taught soil mechanics, foundation engineering, and geoenvironmental engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has led or contributed to research on clay stabilization, electrokinetic soil treatment, contaminated land remediation, soil mixing technologies, and environmental restoration. His work has resulted in numerous technical publications and longstanding collaborations with universities, research institutions, and industry organizations worldwide.
About Exponent's Civil & Structural Engineering practice
Whether evaluating construction defects, assessing earthquake and landslide damage, conducting building envelope studies, examining dam and levee systems, evaluating material performance, or monitoring structural health, Exponent provides rapid response for on-site investigations, providing rigorous, technical answers that enable you to assess risks, make informed decisions, and effectively remediate issues. Exponent's structural and geotechnical engineers work with schedule-and-cost consultants, electrical and mechanical engineers, metallurgical and corrosion engineers, fire protection professionals, and visual communication professionals to, determine root causes for your toughest construction problems.
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