2020 Most Innovative Engineers - Australia

Recognised for their outstanding engineering innovations, GHD’s Nicholas Deeks and GHD Digital’s Jeff Fisher were named among Australia’s 30 Most Innovative Engineers for 2020.

Nicholas was recognised for his leading role in developing innovative approaches to flood modelling to help prevent catastrophic water main failure for Hunter Water Corporation, a water utility in New South Wales, Australia.

While building and running flood models is 'business as usual' for GHD, the method for automating 57,000 flood models is unique and innovative. The approach allowed our client to understand a wide range of consequences and to take preventative action, saving money and addressing community concerns.

The judges said, “The benefits of this innovative project flow to the community in reducing property damage; to the client, in being able to optimise their resources; and to GHD in terms of capability development, which means it is better able to serve its clients. There are also benefits in being able to conserve the precious resource water.”

"This project delivered benefits for our client and the local community in an efficient and innovative way. I am truly humbled to be recognised, I would like to thank Engineers Australia for their commitment to showcasing innovative engineering," said Nicholas, Technical Director – Hydrology and Service Line Leader – Hydrology and Hydrodynamics, Australia.

You can read more about Nicholas' win here. Find out more about the project here.

Jeff was recognised for developing and implementing a groundbreaking sewer overflow prediction model in an AquaLAB co-creation project with Unitywater, a water utility in South East Queensland, Australia.

The model uses a novel neural network framework to predict localised rainfall and estimate the probability of sewer pump station overflow up to six hours in advance. A key innovation is that the only input into the model is a sequence of image files. No explicitly measurable data such as rainfall intensity, wind speed or time of day is used, nor is there any reference to a computationally intensive network hydraulic model.

The judges said, “This is an excellent example of an old-world problem being solved in new ways. This kind of predictive modelling using new sources of data should become the bread and butter of engineering in the future and it is good to see these kinds of applications being implemented.”

"This project allowed us to co-create a solution with our client, it shows that working together can lead to better, more innovative solutions. I’m honoured to be recognised and thankful to Engineers Australia for sharing these innovative projects," said Jeff, Data Scientist.

You can read more about Jeff's win here.

Jill Hannaford, GHD General Manager, Technical Services – Australia and APAC, said, “Technology is rapidly changing, particularly in the water industry which is evolving with an increased focus on people, benefits to communities and sustainability. These innovative projects showcase our work with leading utilities to apply new ways of thinking and drive technical collaboration with our clients to enable innovative solutions. We are delighted that Nicholas and Jeff’s work has been recognised nationally.”

Australia's Most Innovative Engineers List recognises engineering innovation and showcases the important role engineers play in solving some of the world's biggest challenges. Find out more here.