Employee Spotlight: Ilia Chernitsky

Employee spotlight: Ilia Chernitsky has been with AMT since June 2021, working as an Environmental Engineer. His photos were recently featured twice in the 2026 Stormwater Calendar!

‘One of my favorite projects has been the FoodBank project. I joined the team during my first months at AMT and contributed to the preliminary site plan under the guidance of Bret Thurmond and Charlie Armentrout. I value the project for its social impact on the City of Athens, and it also gave me practical engineering experience. I was involved in designing bioretention features and supporting the hydrology report. It was especially rewarding to see our company later receive an ASCE award for this project.’
‘I have two fun facts. I enjoy solving the Rubik’s Cube and once taught a friend how to solve it in about three hours during a long road trip. I still do not know how to ride a bicycle, even though I have tried many times. What keeps me motivated is that Leo Tolstoy learned to ride at 67, so I still have plenty of time.’
‘I graduated from Samara State Technical University in 2015 with a degree in Environmental Engineering. During my studies, we spent significant time at wastewater treatment facilities, and my thesis focused on municipal solid waste landfills and landfill leachate treatment. Over the past year, I earned my drone pilot license and completed GSWCC Level II and Level 1B training.’ ‘I have been married for 11 years. Outside of work, I enjoy researching my family genealogy, browsing antique shops, and visiting national parks. My wife and I love tent camping in the Smoky Mountains, and on our most recent trip we were lucky enough to see bear cubs on the way to the trailhead.’
We are very grateful to have Ilia as part of our AMT family!