HDR’s Philip Blackmar Wins ICCE Outstanding Early Career Professional in Coastal Engineering

Philip Blackmar was selected as the 2026 International Conference of Coastal Engineering (ICCE) Outstanding Early Career Professional in the Practice category. The winners are chosen based on their early career excellence and innovation in coastal engineering within the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute (COPRI) community. This award recognizes impactful contributions by emerging professionals who advance the field through research or practice. 

COPRI is a semi-autonomous institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the country's oldest national engineering society. COPRI's services are designed to complement ASCE's traditional civil engineering base and to attract non-engineering allied professionals who seek to enhance their professional and technical development.

Blackmar is a coastal lead based in Corpus Christi, Texas. With 14 years of coastal engineering experience, he has been involved in projects spanning from the U.S. Northeast to tiny villages across Alaska, with most of his work focusing on the Texas Gulf Coast.

He is a member of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association and COPRI, where he serves on the Houston Chapter Executive Committee and participates in national COPRI committees. Blackmar also continues to present and share his work at conferences around the nation. 

“Philip’s achievements with COPRI, as well as his growth and leadership at HDR, are top-notch,” said Cameron Perry, coastal director for HDR’s water program. “His passion for understanding and protecting coastal communities and the ecosystems that support them makes him a deserving candidate for this award.”