NJIT Engineering Alum Earns 'Young Professional of the Year' Award
Andrew Chegwidden '17 was recently named Young Professional of the Year by The Dewatering Institute (TDI) in recognition of his accomplishments in groundwater control. The award, which honors dewatering industry experts under the age of 35, was presented at TDI's annual conference on Nov. 12, 2025, at a ceremony held in Amsterdam.
Founded in 2020, TDI brings together dewatering and groundwater management companies from around the world. In addition to honoring individual achievements, TDI's annual awards also celebrate successes in areas such as equipment innovation, health and safety, groundwater treatment and sustainability.
Chegwidden, who earned his B.S. from NJIT in Construction Engineering Technology, has been a project manager at geotechnical contracting company Keller since 2024. He supervises water removal and ground freezing — a soil stabilization process — at construction sites across North America and Canada.
"The technical challenges of installing and executing a ground freezing system are so unique," he said. In these systems, which are frequently used for building tunnels, shafts and mines, a network of small pipes are installed underground to circulate chilled liquid. Freezing the water trapped between particles of soil fuses ice with sediment, providing temporary support for excavation and construction. The cooling agent is typically brine, but in some circumstances that require a faster freeze, engineers may use liquid nitrogen.
One of Chegwidden's recent projects was the New York City Water Tunnel No. 3, part of a massive decades-long infrastructure upgrade to transport water from reservoirs upstate, and one of the biggest capital construction projects in the city's history. The tunnel lies hundreds of feet underground and spans more than 60 miles, and required ground freezing to support shafts that extended into the bedrock under midtown Manhattan.
Other projects under Chegwidden's supervision have brought him to construction sites in Montreal, Seattle, the southeastern U.S. and Vancouver, British Columbia.
"Andrew exemplifies Keller’s core values of integrity, excellence, and collaboration," Keller Vice President Greg Ziegler said in an announcement. "He is trustworthy and always puts the safety of our crews and the technical quality control above all else on our projects."
I wanted to immerse myself
Chegwidden began his career at Moretrench (acquired by Keller in 2018) nearly a decade ago as an intern, through the Construction Industry Advancement Program of New Jersey (CIAP). This initiative connects students with industry opportunities, and has close ties with NJIT's Construction Engineering Technology (CET) and Construction Management Technology (CMT) programs at the School of Applied Engineering and Technology.
At the time, Chegwidden knew little about groundwater removal. However, he was eager to learn, he said.
"I wanted to immerse myself in something different from anything I had done before," he said, "I ended up interning and learning a lot of new things."
The experience sparked a lasting interest in the unique technologies of ground dewatering and ground freezing. After receiving his degree, Chegwidden joined the company as a staff engineer, eventually taking on the role of project manager in 2024.
Even before his internship with Moretrench, Chegwidden's time at NJIT offered a glimpse of real-world applications of construction engineering. As a student taking night classes, Chegwidden found that some of his adjunct professors were engineering professionals who brought their own work experience and knowledge to the classroom, offering diverse and valuable perspectives on the industry.
"It really spoke volumes to me," he said. "It opened my eyes to the realities of what construction would be after school."
For engineering students who are currently studying at NJIT, Chegwidden recommends taking advantage of their time at the university to explore as many professional experiences and opportunities as possible, as these can often provide unexpected insights into future career paths.
"While you're still in school, don't be afraid to try something different," he said. "Act like a sponge and absorb as much knowledge as you possibly can."