Pathum Thani, 4 August 2026 – The Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering (FCEE) at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) opens its doors to a new cohort of graduate students from across the region and beyond. Following the all-inclusive AIT orientation the previous day (August 04), held at the Robert Banks Auditorium, two back-to-back orientation sessions took place on Wednesday, August 05. A faculty-wide welcome for all incoming FCEE students, followed later the same day by a more detailed, program-specific orientation for the new class of the Water Engineering and Management (WEM) program.

Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering Orientation – August 2026

The morning session opened with a welcome from FCEE Dean Dr. Ekbordin Winijkul, who introduced the faculty’s six academic programs: Construction Engineering and Infrastructure Management (CEIM), Structural Engineering (STE), Environmental Engineering and Management (EEM), Transportation Engineering (TRE), Geotechnical and Earth Resources Engineering (GTE), and Water Engineering and Management (WEM).

The Dean shared a snapshot of this year’s incoming class. FCEE received more than 600 applications for the current intake, of which around 100 students were admitted — an acceptance rate of roughly 20 percent. The new cohort is about 65 percent male and 35 percent female, drawn overwhelmingly from master’s-level applicants alongside 15 new doctoral students. There are a number of countries are represented this cohort, led by Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

FCEE Dean Dr. Ekbordin Winijkul Addressing the New Students at Orientation 2026

Beyond coursework, the Dean outlined the opportunities available to FCEE students: field visits built into most courses, exchange programs with partner universities across the world, and student assistantships available to students from their second semester. Students were encouraged to keep an eye on their email for announcements.

Faculty from each of the six programs then introduced themselves and their areas of expertise, spanning construction project scheduling and contract management, structural and geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering, environmental management, and water-related greenhouse gas emissions research, among others. Program staff who support students’ day to day were also introduced, along with instructions for reaching the faculty office with any questions. The session closed with directions to each program’s individual orientation — held immediately afterward in nearby rooms.

WEM faculty and new students gathered for orientation posed for a group photo

Later on, the newly admitted WEM students reconvened for a more in-depth, program-specific welcome, followed by a walkthrough of registration and the AIT systems students would need, and a short walking tour of the parts of campus most relevant to the program.

WEM is one of the largest and most international programs at AIT — this year, 14 students were admitted into WEM out of roughly 570 applicants to the faculty, underscoring how competitive admission was. Mr. Hoang Minh “Thomas” Nguyen, a PhD student – who also coordinated the orientation – opened by noting that WEM’s own faculty reflect that same international character, with members who have studied and worked across Thailand, Australia, Taiwan, and the United States. He briefly gave a warm welcoming speech to the new cohort, introducing them to WEM program and the faculty.

Mr. Hoang Minh “Thomas” Nguyen, WEM senior representative, hosting August 2026 orientation

Students then heard from Prof. Sangam Shrestha, one of the youngest faculty members ever promoted to full professor at AIT and a researcher ranked among the world’s top 2% of scientists. He will be teaching Water Resources Systems this semester, and described his research focus on climate change adaptation in the water sector and integrated groundwater management.

Other faculty introduced included Dr. Mohana Sundaram Shanmugam, whose work spans irrigation, drainage, and physical hydraulic modeling, and Dr. Nurul H. Hassan, WEM’s newest faculty member, who joined from Malaysia. Two senior WEM figures were introduced in absentia, both traveling at the time: Prof. Mukand Singh Babel, a long-serving WEM professor, top-2-percent-ranked scientist, and Director of the Centre for Water and Climate Adaptation; and Dr. Sutat Weesakul, who teaches a modeling course this semester and formerly directed the Hydro and Agro-Informatics Institute (HII), one of Thailand’s leading water research institutes. The program also introduced its support staff — the senior laboratory supervisor and technician, the program officer, and the project secretary — along with a special guest, Dr. Somchai Chonwattana, from DHI Thailand, a longstanding partner that supports WEM students working with hydro-informatic modeling software.

WEM Faculty members’ introduction

New students then introduced themselves in turn, both in the room and online, representing countries including the Philippines, Canada, Nepal, Thailand, Japan, and Bangladesh, with backgrounds ranging from civil engineering and geology to forestry — a reminder of how many disciplinary paths lead into water engineering. The introductions closed with a group photo, online participants included.

New students of WEM August 2026 batch

Dr. Tangdamrongsub then walked students through the structure of the two-year program: a first year focused on coursework, followed by a thesis in the second year. He encouraged students to start thinking about their thesis topic and advisor early rather than treating the second year as a break, and outlined the support available — including research grants for both master’s students and PhD students, guidance on assistantship opportunities (available from the second semester), and options for short- and long-term exchange placements, arranged in consultation with an academic advisor.

Dr. Natthachet Tangdamrongsub presenting at WEM Orientation August 2026

The orientation continued with a presentation of WEM’s laboratory facilities, led by Mr. Ruel Puno, the senior lab technician. With introductions made, systems explained, and labs explored, the new FCEE and WEM cohorts left orientation day with a clear sense of the people, resources, and opportunities that will shape the next two years.

Mr. Ruel Puno, the senior lab technician, presenting at WEM Orientation August 2026

The event closed with a hands-on step-by-step guideline on the Student Information System, study plan, and coursework-related topics, led by Mr. Thomas Nguyen, the senior WEM student representative.