ANAHEIM — Anand Govindasamy, senior technical principal in risk and decision analysis for WSP USA, a leading engineering, environment and professional services consultancy, has been named a Fellow by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Board of Directors.
ASCE represents more than 150,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 177 countries, and members elected to Fellow status are considered to have made celebrated contributions and developed creative solutions that have enhanced lives around the world. Only three percent of ASCE members receive this prestigious honor.
He understands the behavior of flood protection systems during natural disasters. Over the past 20 years Govindasamy has contributed to many notable projects across four continents. In 2021, he led the risk assessment for a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project in Canada aimed at reducing 10 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions over 15 years. He has also led seismic hazard and safety assessments for major industrial facilities and power plants in the U.S. He developed risk management strategies for the migration control of irradiated groundwater at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, which in 2011 was devastated by the Magnitude-9.0 Tohoku earthquake and resulting tsunami.
In 2011, he supported the U.S. Department of Justice in a multi‐billion-dollar lawsuit on floodwall failures during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, providing insights into plausible floodwall failure modes through his development of novel computational models for wave- and surge-overtopped floodwalls.
He served on National Science Foundation (NSF) teams that investigated levee overtopping failures during Hurricane Katrina and the historic Midwest flooding in 2008. As a member of the Hurricane Katrina NSF team, he co-authored a 700‐page authoritative commentary on levee failures that was submitted to the U.S. Congress to guide federal policymaking following the disaster.
“We are thrilled Anand has been recognized with this well-earned distinction,” said Cathy Smith, WSP senior principal and consultant and Govindasamy’s manager. “Anand is an accomplished leader working with our clients to conduct crucial risk and reliability assessments of mine tailings storage facilities, industrial facilities, transportation systems, power generation, transmission and distribution systems, hurricane and flood protection infrastructure, and CCS programs.”
He is a graduate of Universiti Sains Malaysia with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand with a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering, and Texas A&M University with a doctorate in civil engineering.
ASCE recognized Govindasamy among this year’s Fellows during its Outstanding Projects and Leaders Awards Gala on Oct. 25 at the ASCE annual convention in Anaheim.
About WSP USA
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering, environment and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,500 employees in 200 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper. wsp.com
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