WSP engineer wins British Geotechnical Association Masters Prize

Supun Mendis, an Associate Geotechnical Engineer at WSP Australia, has been awarded the British Geotechnical Association MSc Dissertation Prize 2023 for his Masters dissertation titled ‘Advanced 3D Numerical Modelling of Deep Basement and Tunnel Interaction in London'.

Sunday, 12 May 2024 - Australia

The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom. The Masters Prize is awarded annually by the BGA for the best MSc/MEng degree dissertation on a geotechnical topic.

The BGA judges noted that Supun’s dissertation was of a very high standard, very well presented with a thorough literature review, and that the conclusions of his dissertation “are directly applicable to everyday practice and do a great job at stimulating thought.”

In addition, Supun has also been awarded the GCG Peter Vaughan Memorial Medal for excellence in Soil Mechanics by Imperial College of London.

This prize is awarded annually to the most outstanding student in the MSc Geotechnics cluster.

As part of the BGA award, Supun will present at the BGA’s Annual Conference on 12 June 2024 in London.

Supun says, “I am humbled to receive the BGA Masters Prize 2023 for my dissertation at Imperial College London. The dissertation utilised advanced constitutive models developed by Imperial College and compared numerical analysis results with field data from a case study of a deep excavation near London Underground tunnels in London."

His modelling of a complex basement and tunnel interaction problem in 3D is very relevant to urban transport and building projects in Australia, where the relationship between urban infrastructure and underground transport corridors need to be carefully planned and managed.

“After working for almost seven years in the industry, I decided to take one year off to embark on further studies,” explains Supun. “I was lucky enough to attend Imperial College London to pursue a Masters in Soil Mechanics which had always been a childhood dream of mine.”

Supun said, “I would like to thank WSP Australia for encouraging me to embark on this journey and for providing me with consistent encouragement and support.”

WSP supported Supun’s Masters in Soil Mechanics at the Imperial College London.

“We are delighted that Supun’s hard work and technical excellence have been recognised internationally with this prestigious industry award,” says Andrew Russell, Director of Geotechnical and Tunnels. “By supporting the development of our people, we are proudly investing in innovative thinkers who will make a lasting impact on our built and natural environments and will shape a better future.”

Supun has now returned to his role at WSP in Melbourne.

He is eager to share his learnings with his colleagues and apply his technical insights to support WSP’s clients.

Congratulations, Supun, on this very impressive achievement.

WSP engineer wins prestigious British Geotechnical Association Masters Prize