Harsh Rathod

Harsh Rathod has never looked at civil engineering as being just about structures—it has always been about people. About the families who cross bridges each day, the communities downstream of aging dams and the unseen risks embedded in infrastructure the world depends on. That human lens has guided Rathod from his doctoral studies at the University of Victoria to the helm of a fast-growing global technology company redefining how those critical structures are inspected and maintained.

While completing his PhD in Civil Engineering, he worked closely with industry partners, observing firsthand how bridge and dam inspections were still being conducted—often manually, using pen, paper and hammers, with years passing between reports.

“I could see huge gaps,” he recalls. “This was ripe for disruption.”

A global problem, close to home

In 2016, a bridge collapse in India killed 28 people—on a bridge used regularly by Rathod’s extended family. They were safe that day, but the event left a permanent mark. As investigations unfolded, Rathod saw familiar patterns: missed defects, fragmented data and delayed decision-making.

“I realized this wasn’t just a problem in India,” he says. “It’s a global problem at different scales, but with the same consequences.” From that moment, his research took on a new urgency.

That urgency found direction in 2017, when Rathod entered the PlanIt business planning competition through the UVic Innovation Centre. New to pitching and entrepreneurship, he leaned heavily on mentorship and feedback. The idea was still evolving, but its potential was clear. Winning the competition gave him both validation and momentum, helping him imagine a path beyond academia.

From research to real-world impact

In 2020, Rathod co-founded Niricson, a Vancouver-based company using drones, robotics and artificial intelligence to digitize infrastructure inspections. Rather than sending people onto ropes or scaffolding, Niricson deploys pre-programmed drones equipped with patented sensors that collect unique acoustic data along with visual and thermal with the cameras.

“We’re not just taking pictures,” Rathod explains. “We’re layering multiple data sets and using AI to understand how a structure is changing over time.”

The shift is more than technological. By creating consistent, high-quality data, Niricson helps infrastructure owners make earlier, better-informed decisions, reducing long-term costs and, critically, risk.

Niricson’s first major client was BC Hydro. Since then, the company has expanded rapidly, working with dams, bridges and airports across ten countries and partnering with more than 50 major infrastructure owners. What began as a small founding team has grown to roughly 45 employees, many of them graduates of UVic. Rathod has been deliberate about building a culture rooted in mission as much as innovation.

“Everyone here understands the consequences of what we’re working on,” he says. “That connection keeps people engaged.”

Changing mindsets one project at a time

That clarity of purpose has also resonated with investors and partners around the world. Niricson has attracted significant public and private investment, including Series A funding and strategic international partnerships, while maintaining its base in British Columbia. Along the way, Rathod has been recognized as a BC Business 30 Under 30 honoree, a Douglas magazine “10 to Watch” recipient, and, in 2025, Niricson was named Company of the Year by the Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council (VIATEC).

“Growing up without many built-in advantages showed me that opportunity is shaped through determination and action,” he says.

Looking back, Rathod credits UVic with shaping both his thinking and his confidence.

“A PhD trains you to live with uncertainty,” he reflects. “You’re constantly dealing with problems where the answers don’t exist yet.”

Beyond research skills, it was the university’s ecosystem—its libraries, labs, mentors and innovation supports—that encouraged him to test ideas outside the classroom.

“Once I realized those resources were there, I felt a responsibility to use them,” he says.

Today, Rathod continues to navigate an industry known for caution and slow change. Introducing new tools often means challenging long-standing practices and, at times, uncomfortable conversations about responsibility. But progress, he’s learned, happens incrementally, one project at a time.

“I’ve learned that real progress isn’t driven by technology alone. It happens when you’re able to change people’s mindsets,” he says.