ROD’s Tony Dempsey has been elected a fellow of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) in recognition of his work on complex bridges and major infrastructure projects. IABSE is a scientific/technical association that aims to advance, through the exchange of knowledge, the practice of structural engineering in the service of the profession and society.
Tony joined ROD in 1999. In addition to leading our cable-supported and movable bridges team, he has also undertaken the role of project director on many of ROD’s major multidisciplinary civil engineering projects.
Tony is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (TCD), where he earned a first class honours degree and a doctorate in civil engineering. As a European Commission Marie Curie Research Fellow, he undertook post-doctoral research work at the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC) and the Centre National des Recherche Scientifique in Paris and at University College Dublin (UCD).
Recognition
Commenting on his election, Tony said:
“This is a great honour not just for myself but for the team here at ROD, many of whom I have worked with since we were graduates. It is recognition from the engineering community that the work we are doing on major infrastructure projects across Ireland, the UK and internationally, is important and of the highest quality. This work includes figuring out solutions to ‘the hard problems’ while designing structures that are buildable and represent value for taxpayers’ money.”
“One of the requirements of a fellow is to contribute and support IABSE’s special programmes, such as the Young Engineers Programme (YEP). It is important that we train and support our younger engineers - because they are the future in terms of developing novel design solutions to our infrastructure challenges. In light of climate change, finding new ways of thinking about infrastructure development has never been so important,” he added.
About IABSE
Founded in 1929, and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, IABSE has 56 national groups worldwide and members in 100 countries. The association is focused on “the science and art of planning, design, construction, operation, monitoring and inspection, maintenance, rehabilitation and preservation, demolition and dismantling of structures, taking into consideration technical, economic, environmental, aesthetic and social aspect.” The term ‘structures’ encompasses all types of civil engineering structures, including buildings and bridges.
To become a fellow of the association, an individual must:
- be at least 45 years of age
- have served as a member of the association for more than eight consecutive years
- have served IABSE and/or the profession in a way that is judged by the executive committee to merit an invitation from the president of IABSE
