Insights for what's next

Explore practical perspectives that turn complex challenges and emerging trends into real-world outcomes.

473 items
city traffic
Q&A

A view on the future of Cities & Places: A Q&A with Monte Wilson

From vibrant urban districts and connected campuses to parks and open space that offer a breath of fresh air, cities are a testament to human ingenuity and adaptability. In this Q&A, Jacobs Global Solutions Director for Cities Monte Wilson talks about trends shaping the cities of tomorrow, what clients are focusing on, and how we’re co-creating the world to come.

Monte Wilson
Eco-friendly building in the modern city
Q&A

A view on the future of decarbonizing energy and power: A Q&A with Andy Solberg

The future of our world hinges on the evolution of energy systems, power networks and supporting infrastructure across all sectors and geographies. In this Q&A, Jacobs Global Solutions Director for Decarbonization, Andy Solberg, discusses energy transition and how we’re turning the energy challenge into a growth opportunity for both our clients and Jacobs - laying the foundation for a more prosperous, sustainable future.

Andy Solberg
water droplets on leaf
Q&A

A view on the future of environmental health and safety operational excellence: A Q&A with Kim Watkins

Compliance with the changing regulatory and sustainability landscape calls for greater adaptability, something Global Solutions Director of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Operational Excellence Kim Watkins and her team help our clients deliver. Whether helping clients adapt to reach their climate action goals or innovating to deliver data solutions, Kim is always looking at how we can support our clients reach their environmental compliance and sustainability goals. In this Q&A, she discusses her role and how she looks at compliance, sustainability and environmental stewardship to drive results.

Kim Watkins
Lake George Diversion Dam
Thought Leadership

Advancing nature-based solutions for resilient infrastructure

As the infrastructure sector responds to escalating climate, biodiversity and flood risks, nature positive solutions are becoming central to how resilient systems are planned, designed and delivered. Moving from theory to widespread implementation, however, requires clear pathways that integrate ecological principles with engineering practice. Jacobs is playing an active role in advancing this shift, working alongside government, academia and industry to help translate nature-based concepts into scalable, deliverable infrastructure solutions. By contributing technical expertise and applied experience, we’re strengthening consistency and quality of — and, consequently, confidence in — how natural infrastructure is designed and implemented across river banks and coastal systems. One example is the growing adoption of floodplain benching — reshaping riverbanks to reconnect rivers with their floodplains — as a solution for inland river systems where historical development has constrained natural floodplain function. Well-designed floodplain benches can reduce flood risk while restoring natural processes, improving ecosystem health and enhancing resilience to changing flow and sediment regimes. Integrating these approaches into mainstream engineering practice is critical to addressing long-standing flood and environmental challenges. “The need for progress is enormous as our systems are out of kilter,” says Dr. Todd Bridges, professor of practice at the University of Georgia, founder of Engineering with Nature® and leader of the International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-based Features for Flood Risk Management. “Restoring balance and improving long-term performance requires integrating conventional and nature-based engineering — and accelerating that shift by equipping all stakeholders to deliver 21st-century solutions.” Beyond floodplain restoration, Jacobs’ work

Keoki Sears Q&A
Q&A

Rethinking the legacy of global program management: A Q&A with Keoki Sears

Delivering a program today requires lessons from the past and a keen eye toward the future. Keoki Sears shares his insights from 30 years of multi-billion-dollar program management and leadership. He describes how our track record in teamwork, innovation and talent empowerment delivers more than just a program. How are you solving your client’s biggest challenges? It starts with our strategy, purpose and values, defining who we are and what we want to be. The growth accelerators Jacobs has committed to are the mechanisms that help guide us in the sectors we serve and reflect current global conditions. Our growth accelerators cut across the entire organization, creating connections between the global market trends, our solutions and company purpose. I believe program management is the most powerful vehicle for delivering our strategy. For example, programs allow us to rethink climate resiliency through several projects and programs for the global energy transition, which offer fantastic opportunities for our clients and Jacobs to keep playing a significant role in the climate response. In the programs we deliver, we harness data solutions to help our clients operate more efficiently and unlock better outcomes. It's where we use data and tech-driven insights to make better decisions, digitize more assets, empower more reliable and accurate long-term planning, and better operate the infrastructure of the future. Lastly, we're increasingly experiencing incredible opportunities to get involved earlier in program conceptualization and strategy at the source. In some cases, even before clients have conceived of the need for a

water aerial
Q&A

World water day: How is water shaping our future?

World Water Day is a moment to consider water’s importance to life, the environment and thriving communities. It’s also a call to action. As climate impacts intensify and water challenges grow more complex, the need for integrated, forward-looking solutions has never been greater. At Jacobs, that responsibility sits at the heart of our global water team. Leading our team of 9,000 water professionals is Senior Vice President Susan Moisio. From advancing watershed-scale strategies to championing digital innovation and mentoring the next generation of leaders, Susan understands that water connects everything — from energy and food systems to equity and economic resilience. In this World Water Day Q&A, she explains how the industry is evolving, her role championing women leaders and what it means to know water. World Water Day is an opportunity to reflect. You’ve been leading our water team for five years — how has the industry changed in that time? The pace of change has accelerated dramatically. Climate impacts are more visible and more urgent. Extreme events — whether flooding, drought or water quality crises — are happening more frequently. Each one reinforces the need to look at systems holistically. We often say water challenges fall into three categories: too much water, too little water or poor water quality. But the real shift has been in how we address them. We’re thinking regionally and adaptively. Instead of solving a single asset issue, we’re asking: how does this fit within the broader water system? What does this mean over

Aerial view of Dubai skyline at sunset
Q&A

Building with purpose: How architecture shapes placemaking

In this Q&A, Morné shares how his team in Dubai is helping redefine the built environment through future-ready design, digital innovation and human-centered solutions. Tell us a bit about your background, career journey and what brought you to Jacobs. I’ve worked across the design spectrum for more than two decades, from small studios to large, multidisciplinary firms. Originally from South Africa, I moved to the United Arab Emirates to lead architecture on complex, high-profile developments. What drew me to Jacobs was the ambition to bring real purpose to design — not just in aesthetics or function, but in impact. At Jacobs, I saw an opportunity to help shape a culture that values innovation, integrity and deep human insight. I now lead a passionate team of architects and urban designers committed to future-focused, place-based design. What does Jacobs’ tagline “Challenging today. Reinventing tomorrow.” mean to you in the context of architecture and urban transformation in the Middle East? To me, it’s a call to action. In this region, where transformation happens at a scale and speed that’s unprecedented, we have a responsibility to question convention and reimagine the possible. “Challenging today” means confronting legacy systems, outdated processes or design-by-default. “Reinventing tomorrow” means creating environments that are inclusive, sustainable and culturally resonant — not just for now, but for generations to come. That mindset is central to our work across Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and the wider region. What makes Jacobs’ approach to architecture unique in this region? We’re not just designing

Q&A: Talking with Program Manager, Jackie Roe
Q&A

Q&A: Talking with program manager, Jackie Roe

Jackie Roe is an experienced Program Director who has spent more than half her life managing some of the world’s most complex, time-sensitive and publicly sensitive infrastructure projects, including the Thames Tideway Tunnel Project, Rio 2016 Olympics and London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. She has also worked in Australia supporting some of our Australian clients deliver their large-scale infrastructure projects, and is currently working on a major clean energy program in the U.K. We’re connecting with our team of engineering heroes around the world to showcase their careers and how each of them help Jacobs to live up to our promise of Challenging today. Reinventing tomorrow. Here, we talked with Jackie about career, the STEAM heroes who inspire her and what she gets up to outside of work . Tell us a bit about what you’re working on these days. Having spent nearly eight years in the U.K. working on the Thames Tideway Tunnel project in London and prior to that on the Rio 2016 and London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, last year I took the opportunity to travel to Sydney. There, I worked with a variety of our Jacobs teams to share major infrastructure project best practice and key learnings, as well as to help steer and support some of our clients as they embark on larger and more complex infrastructure projects and programs than ever before. Since returning to the U.K., I have joined the integrated client team at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, where Jacobs

Port of Miami Tunnel
Thought Leadership

How public and private partnerships deliver real value for clients and communities

By Jacobs’ Director of Commercial Funding and Finance Adam Price In the Red River Valley in central North America, flood risk isn’t an abstract climate statistic — it’s a shared memory and a part of life. When spring snowmelt and heavy rain arrive together, communities worry if emergency calls can be answered, whether hospitals stay accessible and when businesses can reopen. The Fargo-Moorhead Flood Diversion Project exists to answer these questions. It’s a generational investment in protection for a region of roughly 235,000 people, delivered with Jacobs as program manager and public-private partnership (P3) advisor, helping translate public need into a long-term delivery and governance reality. That’s what the best P3s (also known as PPPs or PFI — Private Finance Initiatives — in the U.K.) are really for. Not alternative financing, but certainty, reliability and the right application of experience and talent. A P3 brings private sector expertise and private finance together to deliver public infrastructure, then operates and maintains it to a pre-agreed contractual standard over a long concession, often 25 to 30 years. It’s like a mortgage that includes the upkeep: You don’t pay the full cost upfront, and the monthly payment includes maintaining the asset through its life cycle. The key here is smarter asset management and efficient operations — that's where the greatest value is earned. Across stakeholder roundtables and industry events, the mood is clear: Governments, funders and contractors see P3s as a key tool in stimulating infrastructure delivery globally. Here are five insights I've

A nighttime cityscape featuring tall, illuminated buildings, overlaid with abstract digital circuit patterns to symbolizing technology and connectedness
Thought Leadership

Realizing digital ambitions for the built environment

By: Kurt Moroney Digital technology is transforming how we design, operate and experience buildings and infrastructure. Advanced technologies and vast data insights are unlocking new opportunities for greater efficiency, sustainability and resilience, as well as personalized, interconnected and immersive services and experiences. Digital enablement is no longer “nice to have” but rather a critical component that enhances community connectivity, increases asset value and delivers revenue returns on major infrastructure investments. As investors and developers set more ambitious digital goals, urban planners and designers must seamlessly integrate a growing range of technologies into building, precinct and city-wide plans and designs, alongside other critical systems. This requires an expansive skillset that bridges up-front strategy, urban planning, engineering design and technology procurement and deployment. Growing digital ambition creates new challenges Today’s buildings and infrastructure projects are far more than physical structures. Traditional operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) systems are converging with technologies such as sensors, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, digital twins and other “smart” enhancements to drive asset performance. Emerging technologies, such as interactive surfaces and holography, atmospheric technologies, gaming technologies, robotics and blockchain, are also changing how we interact with and experience built spaces. Buildings and infrastructure are now intricate ecosystems with digital layered into the overall building design to enhance, customize and personalize the end-user experience. This is especially true in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where giga projects are redefining the scale of ambition for digital enablement in the built environment. Most developers outsource this work to

reflection
Thought Leadership

Digital twins: Why the real challenge is change, not technology

As organizations look to digital transformation to unlock efficiencies, reduce costs, optimize asset operations and enhance business performance, many are discovering the biggest hurdle isn’t the technology — it’s the people. Nowhere is this more evident than in the implementation of digital twins, which are often misunderstood as purely technical upgrades rather than the far-reaching organizational change projects they truly are. A digital twin is a dynamic, virtual replica of a physical asset, system or process. It uses historic and real-time data to simulate, monitor and optimize performance. In the building and infrastructure sector, digital twins hold the key to unlocking greater value across the asset lifecycle. While the technology is impressive, its success hinges on how well an organization can adapt its culture, workflows and mindset to maximize the benefit. The global digital twin market is growing rapidly and is expected to reach $149.81 billion USD by 2030, with the transport, infrastructure, healthcare and energy and power sectors leading the way. According to McKinsey, 70% of technology leaders in major corporations are actively investing in digital twin initiatives. Yet, many struggle to realize their full potential because implementing a digital twin is not just a technology rollout. It represents a fundamental shift in how an asset is designed, operated and maintained, how teams collaborate, and how strategic decisions are made. For example, operational teams must learn to trust data and predictive analytics over gut instinct. Maintenance crews need to adapt to condition-based servicing rather than scheduled routines. Executives must

  • Future Foundations

    Co-creating the world to come

    From developing climate resilience and transitioning to a low-carbon future, to modernizing and transforming infrastructure, governments and businesses face critical challenges. How they respond will define our future.

    As our clients navigate these challenges, we help them think differently – working together to pioneer tomorrow's infrastructure solutions and build the foundations for a prosperous, secure future. 

    Visit Future Foundations
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