Intisar Ahmed
Project Geotechnical Scientist
Hired
- 2024
Location
- Seattle, WA
Intisar is a do-it-all geotechnical consultant who has his hands in many projects in Washington and British Columbia. On any given day, he might be coordinating geotechnical exploration programs, interpreting subsurface conditions, designing foundations, analyzing slopes, assessing seismic risk, preparing technical deliverables, and managing projects.
“My career has benefitted tremendously from the wide variety of experience I have acquired,” Intisar says. “Early on, I spent a lot of time in the field on geotechnical investigation programs and completing construction field reviews. After a few years in the field and a master’s degree, I moved on to technical analyses and project management. My background as a ‘generalist’ has served me well.”
Intisar has always been fascinated with the variability and challenges of working with soils. He appreciates the unique histories of each site and enjoys discovering the many natural and human factors that influence their stories.
“As a geotechnical consultant, I enjoy working on a variety of projects without getting pigeon-holed,” Intisar explains. “Not many other subdisciplines of civil engineering offer the opportunity to support such a wide variety of projects. It certainly isn’t ‘boring!’ Pun intended.”
Before joining GeoEngineers, Intisar was working in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where he provided geotechnical engineering services for various civil engineering structures, including buildings, sewers, tunnels, highways, bridges, and levees. He has deep roots in the area’s professional community and has taken on a variety of leadership roles and responsibilities throughout his career.
Intisar has been volunteering for the Vancouver Geotechnical Society since 2017 and served as the Chair from 2023-2024. He was also the inaugural Development Lead for the Canadian Geotechnical Society Young Professionals Committee. Early in his career, Intisar worked with the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of BC, including a term as the 2020-2021 Professional Development Co-Chair for the organization’s annual Young Professionals conference.
“Since moving to the U.S., I have been getting involved with the ASCE Geo-Institute Younger Members Committee and the Geoprofessional Business Association Inclusion Advancement Committee,” Intisar says.
In his free time, Intisar enjoys cooking, travel, cars, movies, and board games. He’s looking forward to exploring new regions of the United States—and their cuisine! His recent visit to Japan was a dream trip, and he looks forward to checking more destinations off his travel bucket list, including Italy, India, Türkiye, and Mexico.
- Silvester, A.T., Coulter, S.N. and Ahmed, I.F. 2024. Seismic Flood Hazard Assessment of the Sea Island Dike. Proceedings of 30th Symposium of the Vancouver Geotechnical Society On “Dams, Dikes and Levees“. Vancouver, BC: Vancouver Geotechnical Society.