Since 2014, Dr. Matahel Ansar is the Section Chief for the Applied Hydraulics Section at the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), West Palm Beach, Florida. In this position, he manages and provides technical leadership to twenty engineers involved in hydraulic design, flow computations at water control structures, flood risk analysis, and operational hydraulics support to the District’s 24/7 water control center.

Dr. Ansar has 27 years of experience with various water resources projects including small scale laboratory studies, 1D/2D and 3D models (CFD).  He has a Ph.D. (’97) and an M.S. (’93) in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Hydraulics), from the University of Iowa.  He is the author of over eighty technical publications including about 20 peers-reviewed journal articles and 45 conference papers.  He is also the past winner of the Best Discussion (2003) and Best Technical Paper (2019) from the ASCE Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering ; the SFWMD Leadership Award (2006), a National Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (2009), and the 2023 Project of the year award from the ASCE Palm Beach Branch.  He is a Registered Florida Professional Engineer, and also served as a Hydrology and Hydraulics Expert witness in several high-profile litigations.