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Firat Sever, PhD, PE, BCEE, F ASCE

Firat Sever, PhD, PE, BCEE, F ASCE
Water Conveyance Discipline Leader

Firat is a water conveyance discipline leader at CDM Smith, special­iz­ing in underground infra­struc­ture reha­bil­i­ta­tion and new construc­tion design. “Our profession is very fulfilling and rewarding. I can’t picture myself doing anything else,” he says. “Even on the rare occasion when I have a bad day, I still feel good knowing that it was another day spent to improve the water infra­struc­ture for the benefit of the public.”

He has two decades of experience working on major pipeline design, construc­tion, and reha­bil­i­ta­tion projects as a field engineer, consultant, and technology developer. Firat is most proud of his work leading a team that designed the world’s largest composite pipe on record. “I feel like we elevated the composite pipeline design to a new level due to that project,” he says. 
 
He has an impressive track record when it comes to profes­sional recognition, receiving accolades since the early stages of his career journey. He was a Spaar Scholar at Tulane University from 2002 to 2005, received the Outstanding Reviewer award from the ASCE Journal of Pipeline Systems in 2014, 2017, and 2024, was honored with the ASCE Pipeline Division Distin­guished Service Awards in 2014, 2015, and 2017, and was also awarded the Outstanding Research Award by the John Bennet Johnston Science Foundation.
 
“CDM Smith has a stellar reputation in the water industry and I had the pleasure of working with them on multiple projects in the past,” says Firat, reflecting on his decision to join the firm. “I have a lot of respect for them and am now delighted to be on the same team.”
Portrait of Firat Sever
Our profession is very fulfilling and rewarding. I can’t picture myself doing anything else.
Firat's Areas of Focus
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Meet our conveyance team

Brent Johnson
Discipline Leader — Pipeline Condition Assessment and Rehabilitation
Ahmad Habibian
Water Conveyance Practice Leader
Mark Maimone
Discipline Leader — Climate Change Analysis
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Explore our work in conveyance

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