Adjunct Professor Matthew Doyle is leading a new senior design class, advising competition-winning teams, and guiding a student organization that provides water to far away communities in need. He also oversees the design and construction of capital projects for the wastewater collection system for Fairfax County.
From drawing to drafting and beyond
“I got into engineering from drawing and art,” said Doyle, whose father advised him as a teenager to go into drafting. Working in drafting led him to take civil engineering courses at the local community college before transferring to West Virginia University to earn a bachelor’s degree. He went on to earn a master’s in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
Doyle began his career in consulting, gaining valuable experience before transitioning to Fairfax Water, the primary water authority serving much of the Fairfax region.
Afterward, Doyle joined the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Enviromental Servcies, where he has spent several years working on a variety of infrastructure projects. He is currently focused on improving the Fairfax County Wastewater Collection System, addressing critical upgrades and enhancements to ensure the system operates efficiently and meets the growing needs of the community.
Hyping up hydraulics at George Mason
Doyle has been an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University since 2008, making significant contributions to the university's reputation as a leading institution for water and wastewater management education. Over the years, he has played an integral role in developing and teaching a range of courses aimed at juniors, seniors, and master's students. His courses cover critical aspects of water resources, with a particular focus on practical, hands-on learning, such as a wastewater management design course.
In addition to his teaching, Doyle actively engages with students beyond the classroom, offering mentorship and guidance. He serves as an advisor for teams competing in regional and national water-related engineering challenges, providing invaluable support as students tackle real-world problems. He also advises the student group Engineers for International Development (EfID), helping students apply their engineering skills to support sustainable development projects in communities around the world. Doyle’s involvement in these extracurricular activities allows students to gain practical experience and develop a deeper understanding of how engineering can address global water and infrastructure challenges.
In spring 2025, Doyle will introduce a new water resources option for students completing projects in the senior design project course, which he will teach. He will organize students interested in water into three teams of eight students each: two working on environmental engineering projects and one working on a local wastewater treatment plant project.
The wastewater team will participate in the Virginia Water Environment Association (VWEA) Student Design Competitions’ wastewater challenge. Under Doyle’s guidance, George Mason student teams won six of the past seven statewide VWEA wastewater challenges against such prestigious schools as Old Dominion University and Virginia Tech, including at the most recent competition in April.
“The students get 1.) confidence; 2.) respect; 3.) money; 4.) a bigger network; and 5.) When they win these competitions, recruiters start to look for them,” Doyle said. He is glad that competition participation now counts toward class credit for a senior design project.
Another senior design team will focus on a local stream restoration and the third will be able to choose their own environmental engineering challenge. For each team, Doyle is arranging for industry professionals such as surveyors, modelers, and geotechnical engineers, both from the county and from local engineering consulting firms.
Serving communities near and far
While his professional roles serve Fairfax County residents and George Mason students, Doyle also works internationally to provide communities in need with water as an advisor to EfID, where he has been involved since 2009. Now, he takes multiple international trips yearly with the organization, both scouting locations and helping students -implement projects. He has worked on water distribution projects in Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
Doyle’s dedication to water management and education impacts communities both locally and abroad. Through his work with George Mason students, he continues to inspire the next generation of engineers to meaningfully support their communities. His influence reaches far beyond the classroom, empowering students and communities alike to tackle real-world challenges in water management.
“Professor Doyle is a great support when assisting students in completing projects,” said Gabriella Wade, a student in EfID. “He has tons of knowledge and loves to share it, but he also wants us to figure things out and develop unique solutions.”