Meet The Team – Dipali Pandya

Civil Project Partners’ Dipali Pandya is a civil engineer on a mission to make a meaningful difference for communities by supporting key infrastructure projects that improve people’s lives.

We caught up with Dipali to learn more about her role, background, and admiration for the engineering designs of the Harappan Civilization.

Why did you become a Civil Engineer? 

I want to make a meaningful difference in communities around the world. Civil engineering is a field that allows me to support communities by developing new technologies and providing essential infrastructure and utilities services.

What do you love about working as a Civil engineer?

I love seeing projects from concept to completion. It is amazing to see an idea go from planning to business case, cost estimation, design, and delivery in partnership with collaborative teams. I enjoy every part of the process, from ideas to overcoming challenges and creating an asset for a community.

What are you working on at the moment? 

I am currently working on a major road project in Townsville. With its emphasis on road safety, the completed project will improve connectivity and community safety across the region’s road network.

What’s the best project you have worked on? 

I really enjoyed working on the Kooralbyn Valley water treatment plant. The project involved upgrading the water treatment structure, including relocating a huge raw water intake structure, building a water-tight coffer dam to allow construction inside the creek, and installing complex pipework, pumps, and SCADA/PLC upgrades. Water is vital to communities, so it was a great project to be a part of.

What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned throughout your career?  

The importance of adaptability and resilience in the face of challenges. In our lives, we will not always have everything go our way, for me it is how we respond that matters.

In addition, continuous learning in a constantly evolving world is important, particularly for engineers.

What would your last meal be? 

Indian spinach paneer curries with nutritious roti.

What is the last movie you watched or series you binged? 

The series Poachers. Based on true events, the series highlights the urgency of addressing wildlife conservation and protecting vulnerable species from exploitation. It follows a group of forest service officers, NGO workers, and police constables who risk their lives trying to track down the biggest elephant ivory poachers in the history of India and bring them to justice.

Who inspires you and why? 

Jiddu Krishnamurti. He was a philosopher, speaker, writer, and spiritual figure who was known for his belief that “truth is a pathless land” and advised against following any doctrine, discipline, teacher, guru, or authority, including himself.

This philosophy inspires me by emphasising total awareness as essential for a free mind.

What excites you about the future of infrastructure? 

I’m excited about the future. If there’s one thing that engineers are good at, it is adapting to change and looking for new ways to improve the world around us. Advanced technologies, new materials, safety in design, and a changing focus on sustainability in design are all exciting.

A good example of this is our approach to active transport. For example, cycleways are a piece of infrastructure that not only does what it is intended to do—move people on bikes—but also minimises environmental harm, reduces carbon emissions, improves health and activity, and results in a better future for the next generation.

What would be your dream project from history to work on?

The infrastructure of the Harappan Civilization (2600 BCE) spanned large parts of the Indu Valley and rivalled anything seen across the world at the time. Cities were planned with a grid-like layout, featuring well-organized streets and buildings, massive walls and gates as defensive structures, and a truly remarkable water and drainage system. As a civilisation, some of the thinking and engineering were way ahead of their time.

What piece of advice would you give to someone about to start a career in infrastructure? 

Starting a career in infrastructure can be both rewarding and challenging. My recommendations are to gain practical experience as early as possible in your career or while studying. From there, commit to continuously evolving and upskilling, in particular as technology advancements.

What do you do outside work for fun? 

I love Vedic astrology. Engaging in astrology allows me to balance my personal interests with my professional responsibilities as I delve into research on it, seeking to uncover the truth of astrology and looking for evidence-based analysis of horoscopes.

If you could attend any event or concert from the past, what would it be? 

I love comedy shows. Last month, I enjoyed “Aakash Gupta” comedian night.

Vegemite? 

With cheese toasties

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