Richard Body

What’s your background and area of specialisation? I was part of the Innovyze team that developed the ICMLive flood and operational forecasting software as well as implementing a number of the pilot projects. 

Why did you want to work for HR Wallingford? I was looking to join an organisation that was seeking to work at the leading edge of the water world, with a friendly culture, where I could make a difference.

What were your first impressions? The warmth of the staff. The welcoming nature of the staff as well as the willingness to include me in things. A key thing is the knowledge sharing; people don’t like to exist in silos. Also HR Wallingford has a culture that welcomes your input; if you have an idea there are always listening ears.

Describe a typical day. My current work is dominated by three challenging and diverse projects: I am project managing an update to some industry guidance with many stakeholders; I am providing technical support and governance to a water company in their hydraulic modelling; and I have just begun work on designing flood early warning systems for Ethiopia. 

All of these require balancing the needs of many stakeholders and partners. So at the moment I feel I am on the phone a lot. But due to the technical nature of the projects I am also soaking up a lot of information.
 

Are there any projects you are particularly proud of? I’m very proud of the work we did on the Littlestock Brook Natural Flood Management model for the Evenlode Catchment Partnership. This was a model that allowed the client to evaluate the benefits of natural flood management approaches in the catchment and demonstrate they worked. The project won a Flood and Coast award in 2021. 

Another project which I found very rewarding was the development of a flood forecasting system in County Cork, Ireland, which I worked on 15 years ago in my previous job. Despite my changing jobs I have maintained the responsibility for supporting the system; it continues to operate and provides accurate flood forecasts.

Going forward, what do you anticipate will be the new opportunities in your area? There are massive challenges in our industry, and along with these come massive opportunities. In the wastewater space we need to be much better and providing solutions to the issue of storm overflows. Along with that we need to be so much better at explaining how these come about and what we, as an industry, are doing about it. We’ll need to develop tools that better evaluate the impact of overflows and how customer money can best be spent to manage those impacts. 

In the wider environmental space, it is quite clear that the warming planet is having real impacts and at a much faster rate than anticipated, Last year in my home town of Auckland, New Zealand, 250mm of rain was recorded in a single day, which was 80mm greater than the previous record. So adaptation is going to be hugely important. 

Probably also something to do with AI. While AI has the potential to change the way we work but we’ll still need to understand our natural and built environment and people are really good at that.

In what ways have you had the chance to grow and develop at HR Wallingford? In my previous job at a software firm I had the luxury of unlimited processing power, software licences and perfect data. Coming to HR Wallingford was a shock when I realised that the real world was far from perfect, so learning to deal with that has been a big part of my development. I’ve also had opportunities to do project management as well as delve into areas of the water industry, such as funding, probabilistic modelling etc. that I hadn’t had the chance to do before. HR Wallingford also has a significant track record of writing industry guidance so I have had opportunities to steer and shape the industry. 

Can you describe the working culture? The people are, on the whole, absolutely lovely and a pleasure to work with.  People work hard but they are also willing to drop things and help you out when you get stuck. Post-covid we’re still a hybrid culture but that’s OK. 

What is the best thing about working here, other than the people? Well, we have a lovely site, and being able to go for a walk at lunchtime and be down by the Thames is a treat. And we have a river boat that I can hire.

Do you have any advice to people who may want to pursue a career in STEM? Do it. Sometimes you have the glamour of presenting about state-of-the-art modelling at a conference, and sometimes you’ll be lifting the lid on a pipe at a sewage works… but it is a genuinely interesting job where you’ll make a difference. And there is a massive variation on where you can take yourself. Also I believe we have a duty to understand our environment and how we interact with it (for better or for worse…)

What do people need to know about working here? You’ll work hard, you’ll find it rewarding, and you’ll make friends. And, as per the old cliché, if you put lots in, you’ll get lots out.

What should potential clients know about working with HR Wallingford? We’re responsible for some world leading research and development. We’ll be honest with you; we won’t tell you to do something that you shouldn’t do. Our engineers and scientists are dedicated in what they do.

What do you enjoy outside of work? Before my eyes went I loved to play cricket; I still coach for my local club. I also find it satisfying doing the heavy lifting on my wife’s gardening projects.

Can you remember the first record/CD/etc you ever bought? (without cringing?) One of Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits), the Unforgettable Fire (U2) or Falco 3. I think it was the latter but I hope it was the first. You can play me out of this world with anything that Mark Knopfler has written. 

Do you have a signature dish, and if so what is it? I make a mean cheese scone, if I can say so, mine are excellent. And I can do a pretty good Pavlova (my Kiwi upbringing demands it).

Anything else you would like to add? Come work with and for us! We’re great!