Dr. Gangadhara Narala Reddy is an academic and researcher in Civil Engineering, specializing in Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. from IIT Bhubaneswar and master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering from NIT Bhopal. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji.
Dr. Reddy’s work centers on developing innovative, sustainable solutions to address climate change impacts and enhance resilience in vulnerable regions. He has developed a proposal on geotechnical solutions for riverbank stabilization in Nausori City, Fiji in collaboration with Ministry of Environment and Climate Change reflects his ability to bridge research with practical applications. He is also actively engaged with stakeholders through workshops and training programs, such as the “Workshop on Enhancing Climate Resilience of Fiji’s Road Network” and “Short Term Training Program on Sustainable Materials & Resilient Buildings - Philosophy, Design, Implementation, and Performance”.
Dr. Reddy’s work highlights the critical importance of integrating climate science into civil engineering solutions. He has expertise in designing climate-resilient infrastructure networks in Fiji to withstand climate-induced challenges, ensuring sustainable and disaster-resilient systems including road network, slope stability analysis, and resilient design of foundation systems.
Dr. Reddy has extensive consultancy experience, including geotechnical investigations, soil and rock testing, earth retaining wall design, and addressing collapsible/swelling soils. He has conducted various geotechnical fieldworks for housing projects, red mud and fly ash audits, and pile load tests, contributing to sustainable infrastructure development and engineering solutions.
Dr. Reddy has over 32 Scopus-indexed publications. He co-authored the book "Advances in Sustainable Materials and Resilient Infrastructure" (Springer, 2022) and has delivered invited talks at over 10 international workshops and conferences. His leadership extends to editorial roles, serving as Associate Editor for Innovative Infrastructure Solutions and on editorial boards for Discover Civil Engineering and Discover Geosciences. He has received prestigious fellowships, including the CSC Fellowship for research in China.
Dr. Reddy’s expertise spans sustainable materials, geotechnical engineering, pavement Geotechnics, climate-resilient infrastructure, and use of sustainable material applications for soil stabilization. His commitment to advancing climate change adaptation and mitigation through community engagement and nature-based solutions underscores his contributions to Civil and Environmental Engineering.
James Lewis, Director of Intercoastal Consulting, is a certified practicing civil engineer with over 15 years of experience specialising in coastal engineering throughout Australasia and across the Pacific. He has a broad knowledge of coastal protection design, integrated coastal management and surf amenity. James’s skills extend outside the office where he has led large-scale metocean deployments, analysing the data captured in the field to calibrate numerical models used to inform coastal design.
He has focussed the last 10 years of his career on working in Small Island Developing States (SIDs) in climate change adaptation, concerned primarily with developing climate-resilient coastal protection. James aspires to see the design phase through to implementation; having supported procurement, and contracting and undertaken construction supervision on large projects in remote locations. He aims to provide value and support through the complete project lifecycle including the social, financial and institutional aspects of these projects, endeavoring to understand the administrative, governmental and funding mechanisms specific to each country and community and their relation to the delivery of a successful project.
Using his knowledge of coastal engineering, the ocean and the environment, James’ primary endeavor is to assist coastal communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
US Registered Civil Engineer and Certified Water Treatment Operator, with extensive Pacific Island (Hawaii, Guam, CNMI, Palau, RMI, FSM) Drinking Water (DW) and Water Resource Management (WRM) experience. 24 years with the US Environmental Protection Agency in a wide range of DW and WRM activities, in California, Hawaii and Micronesia. 2 years as the sole Engineer for the Palau Environmental Quality Protection Board, on all environmental programs. Experienced in all aspects of DW and WRM activities–project and program planning, management; monitoring and evaluation; water system/utility treatment, distribution, O&M assessment, engineering design, construction, operations; operator and management training, maintenance, financing; grant writing and grant oversight. Planning for and providing emergency response actions, for typhoons and other disasters, including Hurricane Katrina (USA); Typhoon Chata’an; (Guam); and Typhoon Haiyan (Palau).
Over 27 years of experience on international development projects, focusing on coastal management, ICZM, coastal adaption, climate policy, wetland biodiversity management and catchment management. Over 12 years’ experience of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) including programmes that involve participatory planning processes, conducting feasibility studies, the assessment climate change and small island state environmental management and the design of programme implementation involving climate change.Over 10 years’ experience in institutional assessment and identification of capacity and organisational constraints within public administration, private sector, civil society (mostly in small island states). Extensive knowledge of donor agency development policies relating to disaster risk, climate change and coastal adaptation. Strong working experience for SPREP since 2011 in Tuvalu, Tonga, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Fiji, FSM, Samoa. Strong experience in many other SIDs globally.
Over twenty two years international experience in Europe, Caribbean, South America and Pacific of coastal engineering, shoreline strategy management planning, assessing natural coastal processes and the impacts of human activities on the coastal zone. Expertise covers a broad range of technical disciplines with particular skills in the areas of hazard and climate risk assessment, coastal processes, coastal engineering and shoreline management, disaster risk reduction, climate change and adaptation, environmental assessment, and community participation. Over fifteen years’ experience in the Pacific region, having worked initially for the Government of Kosrae, in the Federated States of Micronesia, as Coastal Management Adviser. Since 2003 has led or been involved in a wide range of projects in American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Associate Member for the IPES 2006-2008Assets Engineer for Samoa Water Authority, Apia SamoaAssistant Engineer for OSM Consultant Ltd, SamoaProject Engineer for Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Suva FijiCountries of Work Experience: Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, FSM, PNG, Nauru, Samoa, Fiji, Palau, Niue, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, TongaGIS Specialist, Asset Management, System Manager, Leak Detector, International Water Representative, Project Manager and Office space Designer
Building Designer, Project Manager, Quality Controller, Residential building specialist, Steel Frame designer, GIS SpecialistProvide engineering and construction advice and logistical support to Papua New Guinea for 10 new remote seismic stations Facilitate design, Tender and supervise new reservoir and tank sheds in Nauru
Facilitate design and supervise 3 Emergency Operation Center’s in Solomon IslandsFacilitate design, Tender and Supervise new Emergency operation Centre for National Government Pohnpei and supervise four EOC renovations Federated States of MicronesiaDesign, Tender and Supervise 33 water borehole rehabilitation in Kingdom of Tonga, and Provide 150 RWH to outer Islands Provided engineering advice and project design and Tender and supervision of the supply of 300 Rain Water harvesting in Tuvalu Facilitate the design, tender and supply and construction of 900 Rain water tanks to the Marshall Islands Facilitate Design, Tender and Supervision of National Emergency and Management Office PalauIn providing the specialist advice and finalize all technical and Architectural design requirements for each country project and ensure that all relevant in-country building and construction protocols are met to the satisfaction of relevant local authorities. Serve as the principal officer in charge of procurement of all materials required for project construction. Responsible for the supervision of construction of facilities and may exercise this responsibility directly or be supported by the Project Manager in this regard. Contracting the responsibility to a qualified firm within each target country. Develop full specifications for the supervision contracts Assist Water Section of SPC on procurement water and piping construction. Assist the Project Manager in all planning, development of project documentation and specifications for construction, procurement of materials and equipment and services, preparation of project costs estimates and implementation schedules, monitoring and reporting on physical progress and assisting with reporting on financial expenditure.Develop terms of reference for the Review of National Building codes and Manual for Niue & Cook Island.
