Melanie Thrush

"I am the sole geoenvironmental engineer in the Belfast team. I mentor a number of younger staff and engage with colleges and students. I deal with clients a lot and explain ideas, so Trainer and Manager are really useful to me to be able to communicate, understand people, motivate the team and keep everyone on track. "

"I work on a wide variety of projects assessing land contamination and coming up with innovative cost-effective solutions. I liaise with regulators and satisfy planning requirements. Mostly I advise on contaminated land and waste management projects. My job is a bit like a detective – from the evidence I gather, I need to understand what potential contamination there is on a site, and how to protect the environment, construction workers and future site users. I get to go outside a lot, spending around 40% of my time on site. There are opportunities to travel in the contaminated land industry. Similar to other engineering roles, you can work from Graduate to Director positions."

"My Grandad worked in construction. I did a really good work experience placement at school which inspired me. "

"I enjoy outdoor sports like climbing, hiking, skiing and camping. I travel as much as possible and take my dog on hiking adventures."

"A typical day involves the preparation of desk studies (detective work) to assess site conditions and potential risks to human health and the environment. I plan, supervise and interpret soil, gas and groundwater investigations, which includes time on site with ground investigation contractors. I also liaise with regulators, who make sure everything is as it should be. I attend meetings and communicate with clients and other project team members."

"Secondary education (GCSE/O-Levels) 11 GSCE's Post secondary education (College, A-levels, NVQ3 or equivalent) A level - Maths (A), Geography (A), Chemistry (C) Undergraduate degree (BSc, BA, etc.) BEng in Civil Engineering - 2.1 (with honours) Post-graduate degree (MSc, MA, etc.) MSc in Water Resources Management - Commendation "