John F. Unsworth is a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) who holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng.) degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree in Structural Engineering.

He retired as Chief Bridge Engineer at the Canadian Pacific Railway in 2018 and was subsequently employed as a consultant with AECOM until his retirement in 2022. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (F.CSCE). He is a former President of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-way Association (AREMA) and has served as the Chair of AREMA Committee 15 - Steel Structures and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Bridge Research Advisory Committee. As recognition of his service to those organizations, he is an Emeritus Member of AREMA Committee 15 and Chair Emeritus of the AAR Bridge Research Advisory Committee. He is also a former member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Transportation Research Board where he served on the Steel Bridges Committee for over a decade. He continues to provide service to the industry through the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA), AREMA and the International Heavy Haul Association (IHHA). He has contributed to the fifth edition of the Structural Steel Designer's Handbook and the IHHA Best Practices books.

He is the author of the second edition of the CRC Press book Design and Construction of Modern Steel Railway Bridges .