We are proud to announce that our colleague Arne de Jong has been awarded the Walter Grantz Memorial Award during the World Tunnel Congress (WTC) 2025 in Stockholm. This prestigious award is presented annually to a promising young tunnelling professional who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of immersed tunnels.

As part of this honour, Arne took the stage during a technical session and presented his PhD research on the settlement behaviour of immersed tunnels, conducted in collaboration with TU Delft and the Centre for Underground Construction (COB). His work focuses on improving the predictability of tunnel deformations through a better understanding of soil-structure interaction—an essential step towards more reliable tunnel design, maintenance, and service life.

During the congress, Arne also shared insights from his research within Working Group 11, highlighting findings from the Scheldetunnel, part of the Oosterweelverbinding project in Antwerp. We’re proud to contribute to this unique collaboration between academia and industry.

Arne has been part of IMMONTEC since 2020, after earning his Master’s in Hydraulic Engineering from TU Delft. His graduation thesis on deepening immersed tunnels through temporary refloating and dredging already showed his interest in pushing the boundaries of innovation within this specialised field. Since then, he has contributed to five major immersion projects across Europe and North America, including the Blankenburg connection, Oosterweel, Weserquerung, Fraser River Tunnel, and IJ Boulevard caissons.

Beyond his design and engineering achievements, Arne is widely appreciated for his mentorship of junior engineers, the development of tools for weight monitoring and immersion calculations, and his contributions to operational decision-making during immersion activities. He also serves on the board of Young TTOW, the youth chapter of the Royal Dutch Engineering Society (KIVI).

We are incredibly proud to have Arne as part of our team. His curiosity, drive, and willingness to share knowledge reflect the values we stand for at IMMONTEC. This award not only recognises his impressive accomplishments, but also the passion and potential we see in him every day.

Congratulations, Arne!