Nila Abubakar Earns National ENR Honor

Originally published in Engineering News Record

Overview

Nila Abubakar, a principal and industry leader in engineering assessments and expert testimony, has been named to ENR’s National 2025 Top 20 Under 40 for her impactful leadership, mentorship, and advocacy for positive change in the AEC industry.

Recognized for Leadership and Impact

This national honor follows Nila Abubakar’s selection as a 2025 Top Young Professional by ENR Southeast, where she stood out among hundreds of regional nominees. Her advancement to the national list reflects both the depth and breadth of her impact—from technical excellence in forensic engineering to her advocacy for equity and mentorship within the profession. ENR’s 2025 Top 20 Under 40 were chosen from over 450 nominations nationwide, with finalists judged on leadership, community engagement, career achievement, and contributions to industry diversity. At the heart of Abubakar’s story is a drive not only to solve complex engineering challenges but also to open doors for the next generation of AEC professionals.

Rising Amid Industry Setbacks

Going to work for Norfolk Southern Co. at the height of the Great Recession after seeing layoffs at structural engineering firms where she had interned, perhaps was not an optimum career start.

“The intern sitting next to me was let go during summer term,” Abubakar remembers. “I was responsible for a lot.”

Overseeing design, project management, oversight, auditing, and interface with contractors and consultants at Norfolk Southern, she was “doing everything required to maintain century-old rail infrastructure, including programming, budgeting, maintenance, capital repair projects, and design in her territory.

Abubakar leveraged that expertise–and a drive to improve every process even with no promotion in sight or no appetite for change–into a new role as a consultant at Engineering Systems Inc.

Blending Design and Expertise

“I knew that consulting was something I’d be good at,” she says. “It was listening to others and finding out what the problem is.”

At the same time, she moved into the forensic space—excelling at deploying graphical elements to successfully relate to juries exactly how structures failed, while also managing the firm’s Atlanta corporate headquarters.

While enjoying that work, Abubakar began to miss the pure design aspect of engineering, which led her to Walter P Moore also in that city, where she says she has grown her seven-member team from the ground up.

As chair of a technical committee overseeing instruction and maintenance best practices of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association, she drives advancements and sets industry standards, including work on an infrastructure repair manual tailored to field managers as well as designers.

Abubakar attributes her success to being an active listener. “I truly believe that others can contribute just as valuable, if not more valuable, opinions on whatever task is at hand,” she says.

“We have our structural design, we have our water resource group, and when all disciplines are brought in under one umbrella, being able to work between teams and bring everything together in one final, beautiful, elegant report is satisfying. Those are fun projects to work on.”

Engineering with Purpose and Perspective

Abubakar’s family, including sons aged 3 and 7, keeps her motivated and inspired, helps her avoid burnout and bolsters her resilience. She says having children has forced her to “be hyper-efficient with every minute of the day.”

The biggest industry challenges Abubakar sees ahead are fostering a workforce that’s disciplined and dedicated to a career that doesn’t always lend itself to quick and easy solutions, especially as work is more automated.

“Having the wisdom to know what matters comes with experience,” she says. “So, it’s ensuring that the experience is happening.”

When Abubakar speaks with students about pursuing engineering careers, she works to relate it to things they’re interested in, and to provide a big-picture application—showing how it translates to virtually everything.

When it comes to women students specifically, Abubakar emphasizes that they can excel in the field and be leaders, pointing to traits for success such as empathy, understanding and conflict resolution.

“Different perspectives add value to any organization, any industry.” she says.