Theo Vander Heyden | Rollingstock Engineer - Transperth Train Operations
Public Transport Authority Of Western Australia

Theo Vander Heyden graduated from Curtin University in Western Australia with a First Class Honors degree in Mechatronic Engineering. He began his railway career at the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia in 2020 and currently serves as a Rollingstock Engineer in the Mechanical Engineering Branch. In 2019, Theo was awarded the “New Columbo Plan Grant” by the Australian government enabling him to complete a semester long exchange in Malaysia. In 2020 he won the “Best Student in Law for Engineers” award by Curtin University for being the top performing student. Theo’s professional journey is marked by numerous accolades. He was selected as a recipient of the “Younge Professional Scholarship” to attend the conference on railway excellence in Perth in 2021. In 2023 he was recognised as a “Top Tier National Young Railway Professional” for the CORE scholarship, where he presented on the topic of wheel-rail adhesion modifiers in Melbourne. In the same year, the Public Transport Authority nominated Theo for the “WA Young Achiever of the Year” award, and he was shortlisted as being in the top three across the state by the Institute of Public Administration Australia. In 2024, Theo was awarded the “Next Generation Conference Scholarship Winner” in Sydney and was named the “2024 Graduate Engineer of the Year” by the Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA), an award to be presented in New Zealand. Recently, Theo has been selected as part of an exclusive cohort to partake in the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) “Future Leaders Program”. Theo is an enthusiastic young professional who is passionate about leading innovative solutions for the industry and believes in the power of collaboration to drive the future of railways. Outside of his professional work, he serves as a board member for Brightworks, a committee member for RTSA, and volunteers for the Cycling Without Age charity.