Melanie, Senior Geotechnical Engineer

"I wanted to study what was above and what was below, to be hands-on. Go out to 'see, touch, feel and taste' as geologists like to do with the soil and rock that we work with!"

I have been working with Fugro for 14 years now. First, I was involved with Marine projects for 13 years, where I spent a lot of time at sea on drilling vessels, collecting samples and doing basic laboratory testing. It was an invaluable experience. Last year I moved to the land division, where I am getting more exposure to rocks, such as sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks. It interests me because there are more varieties and it sits closer to the field of my studies: Geology.

Training, management, and laboratory testing

As a Senior Geotechnical Engineer, I manage and train Graduate Engineers and Project Engineers. My workplace is both on site and at the office, where I make sure that everyone is comfortable in their role and feel confidence knowing what to do when they are on site. We also do a lot of laboratory testing here in our Wallingford location, investigating the properties of the sampled soil and rock.

I've always been interested in science, that’s why I acquired a bachelor's degree in astronomy and geology. For three years, my goal was to become an astronaut! I wanted to study what was above and what was below. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to be hands-on. To be able to go out and ‘see, touch, feel and taste’ the soil and rock you are working with. And you can't really do that with astronomy. Which explains how I got into geology. The ultimate goal would be to study Mars as a geologist of course, that would be an amazing experience!

Now that I have decided to focus on Planet Earth for now, I want to make sure my work is meaningful and contributes to respectful use of our planet. Treating the land respectfully means not leaving any lasting damage, not affecting the environment and the wildlife negatively. We investigate how to build safe and efficient, ensuring not only effectiveness but also longevity throughout the lifespan of the built structure.