Senior Principal and Project Director Sam Gunasekera is celebrating 30 years at Tetra Tech Coffey. An industry veteran in contaminated land and landfill rehabilitation, he has devoted his career to designing innovative and clever solutions to help tackle the environmental challenges we face in our world today. Here Sam shares just some of his career highlights, along with the projects he is most proud.
What has it been like working at Tetra Tech Coffey for the last 30 years?
The fact that I’ve spent 30 years here, which is over 80% of my professional life, speaks volumes. Working for Tetra Tech Coffey has not just been a’ job and a salary’ for me; it has allowed me to build a career in contaminated land and landfill engineering. Tetra Tech has provided me the training, mentorship, and trust needed to grow, not only professionally but personally as well.
What changes have you noticed in your field over your career?
The transformation in contaminated land management and landfill engineering over the past 30 years has been extraordinary. Forty years ago, this industry sector didn’t even exist. When I started, no one graduated with a degree in contaminated land management, and I only stumbled into it by chance.
Right from the outset, I wanted to be a Geotechnical Engineer and I was looking for funding for graduate studies in the US to read for a Master’s in Geo-Environmental Engineering in New Jersey. The USA and New Jersey in particular, at the time were trail blazing (and still are) in hazardous waste management research and industry, which is also called contaminated land management. My professor and I managed to secure a National Science Foundation grant for me to research on the effective porosity of clays in the presence of chemical contaminants.
‘Looking back now, it was a pivotal moment for me and a decision that set the course for my career.’
Australians will recall our Treasurer at the time Paul Keating’s famous quote in 1990 “…. this is the recession that Australia had to have”. So, when I was looking to enter the workforce as a fresh graduate in Geotechnical Engineering there were no jobs available. However, being a fledgling industry, there were opportunities in contaminated land. So, I accepted an opportunity with a specialist geotechnical consultancy that was doing contaminated land work, wishfully thinking that after the recession ended, I’d switch to geotechnical engineering. Interestingly, almost 35 years on, and a few more recessions later, I am still doing contaminated land and landfill engineering.
The industry in Australia has seen an explosion of legislation and technical guidance, requiring rapid upskilling of professionals, particularly in the first 10 to 15 years of my career. The rise of the internet, mobile technology, and cloud storage transformed how we work, communicate, and deliver.
‘Now, with generative artificial intelligence becoming a part of our toolbox, we’re on the cusp of another major shift – one that is likely to make our work even more efficient and impactful.’
What are some of your most memorable projects to work on/most proud of?
Picking just a few projects is tough. I’ve been a part of some iconic projects across Sydney, Australia, and internationally. Some were small yet impactful; others saw me in a leading role for years.
Of the memorable projects, Tempe Lands Remediation stands out. I first stepped onto that site 22 years ago, when this former landfill site was riddled with environmental, engineering, and safety issues.
‘Tetra Tech Coffey played a key role in not just one, but three rounds of remediation and redevelopment.’
It’s the project that stayed with me. I was working on the Tempe site just earlier this year for the recently completed Sydney Gateway project – a major arterial road consisting of 2.7 kilometre active transport link and 21 bridges and viaducts.
I’m also proud of my contributions to projects like Barangaroo, Sydney Olympic Park, Green Square, and Western Sydney Airport Metro, to name just a few. Then there are numerous smaller projects where we made big impacts with innovative solutions.
What do you most enjoy about your role working at Tetra Tech?
There’s a lot I love about my role. Designing solutions to complex problems, mentoring the next generation of professionals and sharing my knowledge with them, and building ‘trusted advisor’ relationships with clients are at the top of the list.
If there’s one thing I could do without, and it’s the same for every consultant, it’s the weekly timesheet.
Connect with Sam at [email protected]