Graduate Engineer Award 2025

THE JOINT RECIPIENTS OF THE 2025 RTSA GRADUATE ENGINEER AWARD ARE DAVID SCATES AND CHRISTOPHER ZHENG

David is awarded the 2025 RTSA Graduate Engineer Award. David completed a Bachelor of Engineering – Civil and Construction Engineering with Honours at Curtin University and currently working as a Project Engineer at Rio Tinto. He has over three years’ experience in railway industry contributing to track design and deliverables in Western Australia. David has demonstrated advanced technical competence in track design across multiple phases of project lifecycle for a variety of engineering activities. David has established himself as a lead user of various software implementation tools and applying his system engineering thinking in his project experience.
David is an advocate for knowledge sharing and industry development. He had delivered guest lectures at Curtin University on Rail engineering and volunteer for RTSA university Challenge event.

Christopher Zheng is the winner of the 2025 RTSA Graduate Engineer Award for his exceptional contributions to rail infrastructure across Australia. As a Rail Engineer at Jacobs, Christopher has played a pivotal role in landmark projects such as Cross River Rail, More Trains More Services, and the Botany Rail Duplication. His technical expertise in rail alignment design, combined with a growing proficiency in interdisciplinary coordination across civil, structural, signalling, and drainage disciplines, reflects a commitment to engineering excellence and collaborative delivery. Beyond his project work, Christopher has demonstrated a strong dedication to professional development and industry engagement. He presented at the Australian Rail Association’s 10th Heavy Haul Conference and has actively mentored emerging engineers through Jacob’s graduate and intern programs. With a passion for shaping sustainable transport systems and a vision for leading community-shaping initiatives like High Speed Rail, Christopher exemplifies the calibre of leadership and innovation celebrated by the RTSA Graduate Engineer Award.