Rowan Huggins

Rowan is a senior process engineer specialising in water and wastewater treatment, currently based in Melbourne, Victoria. Originally from the UK, he started his career working as a process engineering graduate working in the UK water industry for various water authorities and consultants.

Now working for an Australian consultancy, Rowan's professional experience covers the entire project lifecycle from the planning and early concept design of water treatment infrastructure through to detailed design, construction and process commissioning. He often works on multidisciplinary engineering projects alongside civil, mechanical, electrical and environmental specialists, and regularly engages with clients and stakeholders to support informed technical and commercial decision making.

His technical interests include emerging and innovative technologies within wastewater treatment, as well as process optimisation and finding improved efficiencies in the design process. Rowan has found working in the water industry a really rewarding career, as it has strong technical challenges as well as clear, tangible impacts on people’s lives and the environment.

Rowan is a Chartered member of IChemE, which he achieved in 2024, and is an active member of the Water SIG. He regularly attends and contributes to webinars and talks (were possible with the time difference). He is also involved with the JVCEC (Joint Victorian Chemical Engineering Committee) and attend local site visits and webinars. He has recently become involved in IChemE Connect and is registered as an available mentee.

Through his engagement with IChemE, Rowan regularly draws on technical guidance, professional resources and knowledge sharing activities to support his ongoing development as a process engineer. He is particularly interested in forums that encourage the exchange of practical experience and lessons learned across industries.