Forensic Engineering Archives

Gangjin Li

Gangjin Li is a geotechnical engineer with over 15 years of consulting and academic research experience in civil infrastructure. He has been appointed as a technical expert on 14 occasions.

Gangjin has advised on geotechnical disputes through negotiation, arbitration, and dispute resolution boards. He has performed peer reviews of contractual plans and specifications, compliance with design codes and standards, risks and opportunities assessment, and forensic analyses to determine root causes of structure and earthwork failures.

Gangjin has experience as a contractor and designer with knowledge in temporary works design, including shoring of excavation (e.g. soldier pile wall, sheet pile wall, soil nail wall), working platform design, and pile driving and extraction analysis. He has assisted clients with geotechnical analysis and design on over 60 large-scale transport infrastructure projects, which involved numerical modelling, slope stabilization and landslide mitigation, including spread footings, driven piles, and drilled shafts for bridge and retaining wall foundations, earth-retaining structures for cast-in-place concrete walls, mechanically stabilized earth walls and sound walls, along with short and long-term settlement analysis for foundations and earth fills. Gangjin has performed seismic hazard evaluations and seismic vulnerability assessments, liquefaction evaluations and mitigation, soil pile interaction in lateral-spreading ground induced by liquefaction, and site response analysis.

Gangjin’s expertise includes differing site conditions, piping failure of cofferdams, cracks of diaphragm walls, quantity overrun of backfill materials, instability of cut slopes, overdosage of concrete during construction of secant pile walls, load test failure of drilled shafts, large deflections of retaining walls, excessive settlements of fill embankments, and instability of excavated trenches. He has been engaged as a subject matter expert throughout the life cycle of high-profile civil infrastructure projects, such as California high-speed rail, Brightline West high-speed rail, Harbor bridge replacement, and Hampton roads, bridge and tunnel.

Gangjin holds a doctorate in geotechnical engineering and is a professional engineer in Washington, California, Nevada, Texas, Alabama, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and associated Geo-Institute, the Deep Foundation Institute and associated technical committees of anchored earth retention and driven pile, and the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. Gangjin is bi-lingual in Mandarin and English. 

Darcy Holderness

Darcy Holderness is a professional engineer with over 20 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert.

Darcy has testified as an expert at arbitration regarding engineering and technical root cause determinations, and has assisted in two major arbitrations as a factual witness and proper officer. He has produced expert reports on disputes with values of up to $2 million.

Darcy has delivered nuclear power, fossil fuel, and renewable energy projects covering all aspects of utility power plants, including fuel and waste handling, steam and water cycles, heat rejection systems, water treatment, air handling, and HVAC. This includes over a decade of experience working with carbon capture, compression, transport, and storage systems. He has experience in siting power plants, initial project and organizational development, design review, contract negotiation and administration, construction oversight, commissioning, deficiency management, and operational support. 

Darcy specializes in disputes within the energy industry regarding major project delivery and engineering management. He has expertise in engineering standard of care, construction execution and oversight, and operational and maintenance planning.

Darcy holds a degree in mechanical engineering. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers Saskatchewan, the Project Management Institute, and the Canadian Nuclear Society.

Thomas Moreno

Thomas Moreno is a certified construction inspector with over 25 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert on 100 occasions.

Thomas has testified in arbitration and litigation, including delivering concurrent evidence (hot tubbing). He has prepared expert witness reports and worked closely with attorneys, legal support teams, and opposing experts regarding site inspections, defining scopes of repair, estimating costs, and facilitating settlement negotiations on disputes with values of up to $12 million.

Thomas has experience in change order management, request for information, request for proposal, and insurance property loss estimation using proprietary systems and CSI formats. He has managed multiple projects and design work and supervised large teams across the commercial, hospitality, multi-unit residential, and low-income housing sectors.

Thomas specialises in disputes regarding moisture intrusion, fenestration problems, structural damage and failure, and roofing, building envelope, and foundation defects. He has assisted clients on matters relating to construction defects, costs, scheduling, and contracts.

Thomas is a licensed general contractor, a licensed adjuster, a Haag certified roof inspector, and a certified mold inspector. He is a member of the Construction Specification Institute, the Western Construction Consultants Association, the Western Chapter of Engineers, and the Community Associations Institute.

Stephen MacLennan

Stephen MacLennan is a civil engineer with over 40 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert on five occasions.

Stephen has testified at arbitration regarding civil and transportation engineering matters. He has prepared numerous expert reports on disputes with values of up to $300 million.

Stephen has experience in bridge construction covering project planning, contract preparation, negotiation, award, administration, and development, including quality control and assurance, testing, and certification. He has been involved with projects including bridges, ports and harbors, rail and transit, roads and highways, sewage systems, renewable energy, stormwater handling and facilities, urban renewal and development, water supply, and hazardous materials in the United States.

Stephen has expertise in performing change order analyses, impact analyses, contract item adjustments, and proposed and final estimates on construction disputes. He is knowledgeable in state and federal regulations and specifications and the documentation requirements for highway projects, including fund segregation. Stephen has assisted clients with government contact management and administration, and occupational safety and health administration analysis.

Stephen is a Professional Engineer in California and Idaho. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Construction Management Association of America.

Geraint Williams

Geraint Williams is a contaminated land and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) expert with over 25 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert on three occasions.

Geraint has delivered expert opinion on matters regarding drinking water contamination and oil terminal decommissioning. He has been engaged regarding disputes with values of up to £55 million in international litigation proceedings.

Geraint’s consulting experience covers a wide range of environmental impacts. He worked for the United Nations Environmental Programme for over 20 years assessing the impacts of war, oil contamination and toxic waste dumping in numerous communities.

Geraint specialises in contaminated land investigation, assessment and remediation. He wrote the UK’s first guidance on PFAS in soil and water environments for the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA), significantly influencing guidance and policy.

Geraint is a fellow of the Geological Society and a member of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and the UK Environmental Law Association. He serves on the British Standards Technical Committee on Soil Quality (EH/4) and the Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists Contaminated Land Working Group which he chairs. He also previously served on the executive committee of the Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment, with involvement regarding their vapour intrusion subgroup.

Shaun Russell

Shaun Russell is an architect with over 35 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert four times and supported the named expert on more than 30 occasions.

Shaun has been involved in various major international arbitrations and commercial litigations regarding rail metros and airport disputes. He has produced expert reports on projects with disputed values of up to £50 million.

Shaun has a background working in architectural practice and for an infrastructure contractor delivering large-scale mixed-use transport-oriented developments (TOD), particularly associated with railway infrastructure. He has experience in the design and construction of residential, mixed-use commercial, retail, hospitality, education, sport, and rail projects across China, the Middle East, Germany, and Canada.

Shaun has expertise in carrying out in-depth investigations, that include BIM, in relation to design development, change management and technical appraisals, as well as site inspections. He has been appointed as an expert on rail disputes, natural stone defects bathrooms in high-end residential developments, fire issues related to external cladding defects in residential developments, and waterproofing defects in a primary school.

Shaun holds a master’s in architecture and an advanced professional award in expert witness evidence. He is a member of the Architects Registration Board and the Academy of Experts.

Sahand Rasouli

Dr Sahand Rasouli is a Chartered Engineer with over 15 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert and assisted the named expert on several occasions.

Sahand has assisted in fire safety disputes, supporting claimants and defendants through detailed technical investigations, site inspections, and compliance assessments. He has participated in litigation and adjudication proceedings advising on the interpretation of fire safety regulations, the adequacy of fire protection measures, and the implications of design or construction defects. Sahand has also been appointed as an independent reviewer of engineered fire design solutions and fire modelling using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) or zone modelling. 

Sahand has experience in fire engineering design, performance-based solutions, risk assessment, and consequence modelling across the built environment, high-hazard, and insurance industries. He has significantly contributed to fire science research, particularly in under-ventilated compartment fires and smoke explosions and has been a guest lecturer teaching fire safety courses at master’s level. 

Sahand specialises in high-fidelity modelling and analysis of fire dynamics, internal and external fire spread, smoke movement, and system interactions in built environments. His expertise includes examining the fire performance of external wall systems, compliance with the UK Building Regulations and its guidance documentation, and deviations from best practice in fire-stopping and compartmentation. 

Sahand holds a doctorate in fire engineering and a master’s in mechanical engineering. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer with the UK Engineering Council and Engineering New Zealand, and a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, and the International Association for Fire Safety Science.

Carl Blewer

Carl Blewer is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert on nine occasions and has assisted the named expert three times.

Carl has advised in arbitration and international court proceedings regarding technical, quantum, and delay analysis. He has produced technical expert reports, often working with several experts on multidisciplinary matters, on disputes with values of up to £40 million.

Carl has a background working for an EPC contractor in the design, supply, and installation of pipework and mechanical plant and equipment for the oil and gas, power, waste treatment, water and wastewater treatment, and general process industries. He has experience in green energy projects, including hydrogen fired boilers, flare gas recovery, and CO2 recovery, along with thermal equipment design of fired equipment and associated combustion air and flue gas ducting systems.  

Carl specialises in water and wastewater treatment, energy, and healthcare expert commissions. He has expertise in the technical review of piping and mechanical engineering, including stress analysis, product and package specification, and project delivery.

Carl holds a degree in mechanical engineering and has undertaken NEC3 and Legal Experience training on expert witness and report writing. He is a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Peter Van Gorp

Peter Van Gorp is a fire engineer with more the 25 years of experience. He has acted as a technical expert on numerous occasions.

Peter has been appointed on disputed projects with values of up to $17 billion, working for both the client and contractor. His project experience ranges from schools, hotels and hospitals to large shopping malls, multi-occupancy high-rise buildings, and industrial developments.

Peter has a background in fire, life safety and loss prevention and has spent more than 15 years working across the Middle East. He has been engaged as a specialist from initial concept and design stages through to assistance during construction.

Peter’s expertise includes electrical fire safety, passive fire proofing, cryogenic spills protection, fire risk assessment, and design responsibility and liability issues. He provides expert opinion and supports clients for matters relating to construction and design deficiencies and in relation to liability post incidents.

Peter is a RICS registered expert witness with a master’s in applied engineering electro-mechanics. He is a member of the National Fire Protection Association and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers in the United Arab Emirates. Peter is bi-lingual in Dutch and English and has published various articles on the subject of fire safety in high-rise towers, protecting electrical rooms and data centres, and hazardous substances.

Jeffrey Smith

Jeffrey Smith is an architect with more than 40 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert on numerous occasions.

Jeffrey has provided expert analysis and deposition testimony on construction and architectural defects and cost analysis issues. He has prepared expert reports and has participated in mediation sessions for disputed values of up to $150 million.

Jeffrey has experience in building design and construction, contract negotiations, public infrastructure development, project feasibility, land-use entitlement, and infrastructure due diligence. He has delivered projects across the residential, commercial, retail, education, government, hotel, land development, and transportation infrastructure sectors.

Jeffrey specializes in the technical analysis of construction defects, code compliance, and standard of care assessments. He undertakes investigations and analysis of contractor means and methods, along with the evaluation of non-conforming work.

Jeffrey is a licensed architect (Ohio, California, Utah) and a licensed real estate broker in California. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

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