Patrick Shawn O'Brien

Patrick Shawn O'Brien, Ph.D. passed away suddenly June 28, 2025 in Asheville, North Carolina while proudly serving on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) waterway debris removal mission in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. A flag will be flown over the nation's capital in his honor, July 12, 2025.
He was preceded in death by his parents John Daniel O'Brien and Anna May Smith O'Brien, his identical twin Michael Corrigan O'Brien and his brother John Daniel O'Brien II. He is survived by his sisters Sharon O'Brien, Susan O'Brien van Loon, and Anne O'Brien, sister-in-law Rosalind Bealer O'Brien and his nieces and nephews: John Daniel O'Brien III, David T. O'Brien (Lynn), Rebecca O'Brien, and Lauren van Loon Romanauskas (Alex).
Dr. O'Brien was a board certified professional engineer (P.E) and an extraordinarily well-rounded hydrology, hydraulics, coastal, and research engineer. He was one of the nation's experts on climate resilience and sea level change, widely recognized for his outstanding contributions to civil works projects and national security through his work in water resources management engineering, engineering research and development, climate preparedness and resilience, and natural disaster management during his nearly 30-year career at the USACE.
He completed his doctoral degree with one of the premier hydraulic engineering research groups in the nation at Colorado State University. His research introduced an innovative method to assess the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure under global sea level change scenarios and directly influenced USACE climate resilience policy through technical publications and the development of online decision support tools. He completed earlier degrees in finance (B.S.) and civil engineering (B.S. and M.S.) at the University of New Orleans.
Dr. O'Brien served in critical, influential leadership roles including the lead hydraulic engineer for major infrastructure projects, the primary investigator for national research projects, a subject matter expert for a wide range of disciplines, a water resources engineering chief, and a technical specialist for emergency management response missions following natural disasters.
He was instrumental in integrating global sea level change into the national USACE planning and engineering framework. He authored or co-authored multiple USACE policy and technical documents and was selected by the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy to be a chapter author for the "Coastal Effects" chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment in 2023.
Throughout his career, he played critical roles in all regions of the country, managing several of the nation's largest and most complex river systems, including the Mississippi and Columbia River watersheds. In roles as a research environmental engineer and the Chief of the Wetlands and Coastal Ecology Branch at the Engineer Research and Development Center's Environmental Laboratory, he led a diverse, interdisciplinary workforce of scientists and engineers performing research on wetlands and coastal ecology, quantitative ecological methods and modeling, and dredging impacts.
He was a lead engineer on major multipurpose water resource infrastructure projects for the New Orleans, Portland, Galveston, and San Francisco Districts, including the Mt. Saint Helens and Columbia River Channel Deepening Projects, and the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project. He authored numerous conference papers on sediment transport, sediment management, reservoir sedimentation, reservoir operations, flood risk, and hydraulic design of tide gates. Because of his uncommon and distinguished expertise in both coastal and riverine processes, he was frequently called upon to provide technical and policy guidance or review for high profile USACE projects in nearly every region of the country, for which he has received numerous agency service awards, including the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service (2006), the USACE Climate Champion (2016), the Commanders Award for Civilian Service (2018), several performance awards and Commander's coins, and nominations for the White House Green Gov Award (2016) and the Society of Military Engineers (SAME) Wheeler Medal (2016). His intellect and remarkable knowledge were matched by his patience. He turned complex ideas into plain language and saw potential where others saw rough edges.
In addition to his exemplary set of interdisciplinary skills and knowledge, Dr. O'Brien was devoted to public service values, exemplified through his participation in numerous emergency response missions following natural disasters: a temporary roofing mission following Hurricane Charley, a temporary housing mission following Hurricane Ivan, and debris missions following Hurricane Katrina and wildfires in Los Angeles.
He devoted his career to advancing the engineering and public service missions of USACE, generously dedicating many hours to training and mentoring engineers throughout the country, and he was widely respected by his colleagues. His expertise and leadership skills made him one of the most insightful, influential, and valued leaders at USACE, and his kindness, compassion, and enthusiasm will be dearly missed by all. The tools and ideas Dr. O'Brien developed will continue helping people solve problems he'll never know about. His professional legacy is as enduring as the personal one he left with those who knew him.
Beyond his stellar professional accomplishments, Dr. O'Brien was noted for his adventurous spirit, love of conversation and zest for life. He was a coffee connoisseur, and passionate about e-bikes, meteorology, astronomy, and life on the road as a devoted van camper, always planning his next road trip. He chronicled the daily life of his beloved ginger cat Pip through thousands of photos and videos and became a technical expert at administering Pip's twice daily insulin jabs. After traveling and living near and far for much of his career, Dr. O'Brien returned to the same neighborhood where his Irish and German immigrant ancestors once lived. There, he renewed his love for all things New Orleans, especially Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Audubon Park and his favorite bike path on the levee.
Family and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass in honor of Patrick's life, July 12, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Jacob Schoen Funeral Home. Visitation begins at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests memorial donations be made to the charity of your choice or to the Big Easy Animal Rescue, a nonprofit close to Patrick's heart.