He brings 32 years of international experience spanning the engineering specialisations of dams, structural, geotechnical, earthquakes, water resources and infrastructure.

Joining Arup from SKM/Jacobs, where he served as Global Practice Leader for dams and water-retaining structures, Dr Vitharana brings a range of technical and project leadership expertise. He has led teams on notable projects such as the Canning Dam strengthening, which features the world’s largest ground anchors, and the Millstream dam-raising in collapsible ground conditions.

As a technical specialist, he served as leader for the recent independent review of the proposed $800 million Warragamba dam-raising and flood mitigation scheme.

He has a particular research interest in the performance and durability of concrete water-retaining structures in the face of various stresses. These range from early-age thermal stresses to guaranteed durability over 100 years as required for desalination plants. His research findings have been cited in numerous international standards.