The industry’s best and brightest are highlighted as 2025 40 Under 40 winners.
40 Under 40 insights
- The 2025 Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40 winners are leading the industry with a strong focus on sustainability, energy efficiency and community impact, with many volunteering to mentor future engineers.
- This year’s class also showcases personal passions — from lighting design and podcasting to badminton and travel — while emphasizing work-life balance and a commitment to shaping a more human-centered built environment.
Each year, Consulting-Specifying Engineer celebrates the next generation of industry leaders through the 40 Under 40 program — and 2025’s winners continue to impress with a blend of technical mastery, personal passion and deep-rooted purpose.
In many ways, this year’s class reflects a familiar and welcome trend: a commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency. It’s a mindset that is ingrained in building design and these professionals are planning smarter systems that reflect today’s realities. Whether working with decarbonization strategies or optimizing HVAC performance, these leaders are embracing their role as stewards of the built environment.
What stands out this year, however, are the increasingly diverse paths these professionals are taking. This year’s group includes several lighting designers and data-focused positions — professionals who blend science, aesthetics and human well-being into every project. Their presence in this year’s group underscores the growing importance of data analytics, occupant-centered design and energy efficiency.
It’s always fun to learn the more personal flourishes woven into this year’s profiles, too. For the first time (that I can remember) since the program started in 2008, badminton appears — two winners count it as a way to recharge. A few others have launched their own podcasts, using their voices and microphones to amplify ideas, share insights and foster community beyond the office.
Perhaps most inspiring is the universal commitment to giving back. Every single honoree volunteers — coaching and guiding, supporting STEM outreach or helping youth explore careers in engineering and construction. That spirit of service is not a sidebar to their success — it’s foundational.
These leaders understand that shaping the future means more than designing buildings; it means investing in people. Per usual, several winners were nominated by previous 40 Under 40 winners, further extending the focus on mentoring and building on careers.
This year’s winners also remind us that excellence includes a personal life. Nearly all of them prioritize family and are vocal about maintaining work-life balance. Many love to travel, seeking inspiration and perspective by learning about other cultures and design methods.
The 2025 class is exactly what our industry needs right now with all the political turmoil and uncertainty: passionate experts who care deeply about the systems they design and the lives those systems support. As we look ahead, I am excited to watch these professionals shape not just the future of engineering, but the culture that defines it.
