Arnold Dix is an Australian geologist, engineer, lawyer, and author. He is known for his part in the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue in India in 2023, and a former president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association.
Arnold attended Haileybury Newlands and then Haileybury Senior School from 1975-1981. He played in School Rugby teams and was a member of the Swimming Squad.
Arnold was a Vice Captain in Berthon House, one of the Haileybury Houses. In the 1980 Yearbook, he wrote a prescient piece on environmental awareness for a body named HEAL (Haileybury Environmental Awareness League).
Dix is a former president of International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITUSA), based in Geneva, Switzerland. He is also the founder of The ALARP Group.
In September 2025, the ITA, in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), appointed Dix as inaugural chair of its nuclear waste disposal working group to support UN Member States in developing deep geological repositories for high-level radioactive waste.
Dix has also been involved in improving the safety of bulk milk truck tankers. In 2023, he was announced by the National Bulk Tanker Association (NBTA) as the keynote speaker for Bulk Tanker Day.
In 2020, Dix, together with Lord Robert Mair and Peter Vickery QC, established Underground Works Chambers. The company offers technical and regulatory solutions for challenges related to underground spaces.
On 19 November 2023, Dix joined the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation in Uttarakhand, India. Upon arrival, Dix promised to evacuate all 41 workers safely. Dix played a leading role in the operation that saved 41 workers who were trapped nearly 200ft below the surface. He worked together with five agencies ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL, who had encountered difficulties completing the rescue mission.
Dix suggested that the team use soft mining techniques, to avoid disturbing the mountain and causing another avalanche which would put the workers at further risk. Rescuers had been using large earth drilling machines which caused vibrations that made the tunnel more unsafe. The large drills also broke down from hitting metal obstacles from the collapsed tunnel, forcing the rescue operation to be paused frequently. Dix proposed much slower and gentle approaches that he considered safer. The rescuers used a thin pipe to carry the trapped workers to safety. They finally excavated by hand to avoid disturbing the rock and causing further damage.
Dix displayed faith during the rescue by praying at a makeshift temple during the rescue, which gained attention on social media. During the rescue mission, Dix was seen praying at the temple of local deity Baba Bokh Naag ji.
2026 Nepal–Tibet floods
In August 2026 Dix has been helping rescuers locate the entrances to hydropower tunnels in which hundreds of workers were trapped in the 2026 Nepal–Tibet floods. The expert in tunnel rescue said that the rescue was something he has never seen and ask no one to judge and advice without understanding Nepal's difficult geography. He openly thanked the Nepal Army for the incredible job they have been doing for the rescue.
Personal life
Dix first married Karen Beckmann, and he has three children from this marriage.
He then married Divina Dix, who has a child from an earlier marriage.
In 2011, he was the recipient of the Alan Neyland Tunnelling Society award for tunnel fire safety excellence.
In 2022, Dix was honoured with a Committee Service Award by the National Fire Protection Association of the United States of America for his contribution to road and rail tunnel fire safety.
In 2024, Dix was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by Monash University.
Publications
Dix, A. (2005). "Tunnel Fire Safety and the Law". In Beard, Alan; Carvel, Richard (eds.). The Handbook of Tunnel Fire Safety. Thomas Telford. doi:10.1680/hotfs.31685.0020
Dix, A. (2011). "Risk Analysis – from the Garden of Eden to its Seven most Deadly Sins". 14th International Symposium on Aerodynamics and Ventilation of Tunnels (ISAVT 14), Dundee, Scotland. uwchambers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/seven_sins_final1.pdf
Dix, A. (2020). "Regulatory Baseline Reporting: The Case for Quantifying Expected Regulatory Costs and Delays in a Baseline Report – Lessons in Crown Unfairness from Australia". International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), Volume 11, Issue 08, August 2020. doi:10.34218/IJCIET.11.8.2020.006www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=11&IType=8
Dix, A. (2020). "Air Cleaning Technologies for Tunnels – Honesty is the Best Policy for Protecting Human Health". International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), Volume 11, Issue 1, January 2020. www.iaeme.com/ijciet/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=11&IType=1
Dix, A. (2020). "The Renaissance of Fairness in Ground Risk Allocation – The New ITA/FIDIC Emerald Book". International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), Volume 11, Issue 1, 2020. www.iaeme.com/ijciet/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=11&IType=1
Dix, Arnold (2025). The Promise: How an everyday hero made the impossible possible. Australia, AU: Simon & Schuster Australia. ISBN1761429167
