5 Questions with an Expert: Golam Kibria

 
We're excited to share with you our latest 5 Questions with an Expert interview with HVJ South Central’s Vice President of Operations, Golam Kibria.

1. Starting with some background about yourself, can you share how you got started in this field and what inspires you most in your work?  
After earning an undergraduate degree, I attended the University of Texas, Arlington, for graduate school. That's when I learned more in-depth about geotechnical engineering and became enthusiastic about the field. Specifically, I found lab/field analysis, geotechnical simulation, and statistical analysis interesting and fun. I loved reading the latest journal/conference papers about trends and innovations in the industry. After completing my Ph.D., I joined a Geotechnical consulting company in California. I've been working as a Geotechnical Engineer since then and now have over ten years of experience in the industry. My passion for the industry continues to this day. I especially enjoy working with our diverse team, playing a role in their professional growth and success, and working together to provide excellence to clients.  

2.  Please tell us about your role at HVJ. What is important to success in this role, and which aspect of your work or daily routine do you like best?  
I oversee operations for HVJ South Central and manage the San Antonio office. Our people are the key to our success, both their skill and attitude. I enjoy working with a team that maintains a positive outlook. Positive attitudes combined with technical expertise and a willingness to own solutions create a recipe for success. I always enjoy technical discussions, business development, and mentoring staff. My role at HVJ gives me plenty of opportunities to do what I love.   

3. Can you briefly describe one of your recent projects and what you found most interesting or rewarding? What was the most significant achievement of the project?  
I recently completed the Capmetro Redline Separation project, which will expand transit options throughout Austin. For the exploration phase, we had extremely limited windows to perform drilling. There were multiple site constraints, including subsurface utilities, environmental restrictions, and busy train schedules. We had to coordinate with various entities for utility clearance and ensure the train schedule was not interrupted during field exploration. It was incredibly challenging to accomplish all these tasks and drilling/coring activities in bedrock while meeting the project's fast-track schedule. However, we overcame all the challenges and successfully finished the fieldwork.  

 From the design perspective, there was insufficient space to install the necessary large-diameter shafts for the 30-ft. tall Drilled Shaft Walls. We conducted detailed P-Y and global stability analysis to develop shaft spacing, size, length, and minimum reinforcement for a workable solution. Overall, it was an excellent project that I enjoyed. I thank my team members, supervisor, and technical reviewer for collaborating to complete this project. The client's satisfaction with our ability to overcome multiple challenges while meeting the accelerated timeline was rewarding. 

4. Can you talk about a time when you encountered an unexpected problem in a project or had to make a difficult decision that affected the outcome? How did you approach the decision-making process? 
I worked on a fast-track tunnel project requiring specialty hollow stem drilling and HQ coring, and multiple Packer in-situ testing. We needed to adjust the schedule to keep the project on schedule but could not move forward without a specialty driller, which was unavailable in the state. We mobilized drilling rigs from out of state and created a schedule for drilling activities in two shifts to expedite the specialty testing. Using this out-of-the-box solution, we delivered results on time and kept the project moving forward. That's an example of when I felt accomplished and proud to be the Geotechnical Engineer of Record. Our use of unconventional solutions met the client's fast-track timing needs.  

 5. HVJ prioritizes ongoing learning, personal growth, and mentorship. How have these values helped you develop leadership skills that you've needed to apply in your everyday work life or on complex projects? 
I appreciate and value HVJ's priorities on ongoing learning, personal growth, and mentorship. Ongoing education is essential in every part of my job, both technically and from a leadership and business development perspective. Last year, I attended the ACEC Leadership training program, which HVJ promotes and supports. ACEC helps engineers advance their careers and manage/grow their businesses. It was an excellent platform to learn about the latest industry trends, meet leaders and peers from other firms, and network in my practice area. I strongly believe there is always room for learning new things and professional/personal growth.