BE, MS, PhD, FIEAust, MASCE, CPEng, RPEQ

Senior Engineer/Director
Leighton joined MEL Consultants in 2014 with about thirty years' experience in project management (site, design studio, and consulting), civil and structural engineering, wind-engineering applications, and research. He has evaluated over 600 buildings and structures for wind loads (local cladding pressures and/or frames loads) through wind-tunnel testing; evaluated pedestrian-wind climate for many of these buildings; measured forces on other structures like stacks, outdoor monuments, and solar collectors; defined snow loads for structures via wind-tunnel data; and, investigated pollutant dispersion from laboratory buildings, stacks, and ships. His professional leadership roles include: past Secretary of the ASCE Environmental Wind Engineering Committee, 2000-2006; past Chair of the ASCE Structural Wind Engineering Committee, 2005-2011; past President of the American Association for Wind Engineering(AAWE), 2007-2008; Past Board Member for the Applied Technology Council, 2011-2017; current Board Member for the Australasian Wind Engineering Society, 2014-2021; past Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 2011-2017; and past Americas Regional Coordinator for the International Association for Wind Engineering, 2009-2017. Recipient of the AAWE Michael Gaus Award (2013), and the AAWE Best Journal Paper (2013). Leighton is a Chartered Professional Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Australia, is a Registered Professional Engineer in Queensland, has authored many conference and journal papers, has edited and co-authored the ASCE publication entitled "Wind Issues in the Design of Buildings", and contributed to the updating of the 2013 "ASHRAE Handbook Fundamentals" (Chapter 24). Leighton has had several media appearances, including interviews on the television show "Mega Engineering", and has assisted occasionally in legal cases as an expert witness. He may be contacted on +61-(0)481-263-324.