Matthew Dick, PE, Joins ESi as Head of Rail Strategy & Development

Engineering Systems Inc. (ESi) has appointed Matthew Dick, PE, as Head of Rail Strategy and Development, strengthening its commitment to the growing rail industry. With deep expertise in derailment investigations, rail operations, failure analysis, and rail technology across both freight and passenger systems, Dick brings practical experience and technical leadership that enhances ESi’s expanding rail capabilities. 

“With Matt joining the ESi rail team we are better positioned for growth than ever before, enabling us to accelerate innovation and drive growth into new areas. He brings a new dimension to our experienced staff. His leadership and industry insight will be instrumental as we continue to expand our capabilities to meet the evolving and expanding needs of the rail market.”  

Erick Knox, PhD, PE

Chief Technical Officer

Renowned for his strategic vision, ability to solve complex rail challenges, and commitment to advancing railway’s safety and efficiency, Dick brings over 25 years of diverse rail industry experience to ESi. Over his career, he has performed derailment, collision, and fatality incident investigations for every Class I railroad, many shortline railroads and passenger transients, and has worked with the Federal Railroad Association (FRA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). Additionally, he served as an onsite subject matter expert during the 2008 Chatsworth Collision NTSB investigation, the largest U.S. railway accident in the last 30 years which triggered the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC). 

Dick recently served as Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at ENSCO Inc. During his 15-year tenure at ENSCO he led ENSCO’s rail business growth by helping railway customers overcome their toughest challenges. His contributions to technology driven railway safety includes leading the delivery of North America’s first Autonomous Track Geometry Measurement System (ATGMS) and deploying the V/TI Clusters Artificial Intelligence algorithm, which both have significantly reduced track-caused derailments.

“We're incredibly excited to welcome Matt to ESi as Head of Rail Strategy and Development. Matt brings a rare combination of technical depth, industry leadership and strategic vision. His arrival marks a pivotal moment in our growth, and I look forward to partnering with him as we expand our capabilities and deepen our impact in the rail sector.”

Will Pinkston

President

Dick has served in various industry leadership roles including as Chair of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Rail Transportation Division, leading industry wide collaboration of railway research.  He also served as Chair of AREMA Committee 2 – Track Measurement and Assessment Systems, leading the advancement of recommended practices for automated track inspection technologies. In 2024, he was honored as one of Railway Age Readers’ Influential Leaders as an honorable mention awardee.

Dick has been prolific sharing knowledge through technical publications, conference presentations, and industry magazine articles on topics such as derailment investigation and prevention, modeling, failure analysis, metallurgy, regulatory compliance, inspection technology, and data management. Additionally, he holds 11 patents for automated railway inspection technologies.

"I've long admired ESi's commitment to its customers’ needs utilizing the world’s best experts. I'm honored to join this incredible team and excited to build on its strong foundation in the rail industry to accelerate growth, deepen impact and deliver value to our customers." 

Matthew Dick, PE

Head of Rail Strategy & Development

About ESi

Founded in 1987, Engineering Systems Inc. (ESi) is a forensic engineering and scientific investigation firm committed to providing actionable solutions to industry and technical challenges through data-driven insights and multidisciplinary collaboration. With offices and lab facilities nationwide, our teams of experts leverage advanced technologies and professional expertise to equip clients across the globe with comprehensive analyses, and recommendations on projects of any size or complexity. 

To learn more about ESi's growing Rail Practice, visit: Rail