Hannah Jukes

"The personality types which I matched are Coach, Coordinator and Quality Controller. I would say these three types are well suited to my personality and the traits I demonstrate in the workplace. Working in a small company often means wearing multiple hats and stepping outside of your role duties. This requires strong communication skills to be able to understand what others are expecting of you but to also inform others of your own expectations of them (Coordinator). Technical report writing demands a meticulous eye and proactive approach. Understanding when to seek out help and guidance from others is crucial to not overwhelm others who have their own workloads (Quality Controller). Within my role I work alongside other engineers, software developers, management teams, clients and developers. Adjusting verbal and body language to suit the individual and situation is key to understanding what others want but also crucial to working well in many different professional situations. Taking the time to listen to the needs of others is another key attribute (Coach). "

"My role within Vekta Group is dynamic as the majority of my workload comes from the consultancy side of the business and is therefore project dependent. The projects we tend to contribute towards are at the feasibility or pre-FEED (front end engineering and design) stage of development. What this means for my role is that I largely undertake desk-based feasibility studies to identify and assess cable routes from the offshore array area to the landfall location and finally to the onshore substation where the electricity can be fed into the National Grid and be supplied to homes and factories around the country. As part of this role I will collect publicly available geological, geotechnical and geophysical data to undertake a comprehensive study. Depending on the project, survey data (geophysical data which has been collected offshore to image the seafloor through acoustic waves) may be available and can be incorporated into my work. Once I have completed the analysis on the cable route, I will elaborate on the findings in a report or slide pack, the preference indicated by the client. The other part of my role is helping the software developers within Vekta Group. Vekta Group are developing a series of online tools to improve efficiencies for consultants in offshore wind, and hopefully eventually in the wider renewable industry. As part of this, I provide industry knowledge and experience of GIS (geographic information systems) software's to help build our own GIS tool. I will also start developing widgets for more detailed geospatial analysis once the tool is ready. The thing I enjoy most about my role is how flexible it is to work across different workloads and gain skillsets in niche areas I would not have thought. I particularly enjoy researching and interpreting geological and geophysical data to better understand the subsurface and how this feeds into renewable energy development. The starting salary for my role is £25k. "

"My initial interest to get me to where I am today probably started when I was in secondary school and had (and still do have!) a passion for volcanoes. I found them very fascinating and wanted to explore them more. This interest led me to take an A-Level in Geography at college and eventually led me to study BSc Geography at Newcastle University. It was probably half way through my degree that I realised I had done the wrong degree (and most probably the wrong A-Levels) to take me down a volcanology route. I should've studied Geology at University with Chemistry and / or Physics at A-Level. For my final year dissertation I studied fault movement structures along a strike slip fault in California utilising satellite imagery and GIS. In doing this, I developed good GIS skills and an interest for large scale geological structures. On the back of this I completed an MSc in Structural Geology with Geophysics at the University of Leeds. I thoroughly enjoyed this extremely challenging degree and finished the year by completing my thesis based around geothermal energy in Ethiopia. I used geological and geophysical data to infer heat sources and define structural models to help with the drilling programme which was set to be underway the following year. My research was acknowledged by the World Geothermal Congress and I turned my thesis into a paper for the conference proceedings. In doing so, I worked closely with the company who sponsored my thesis and gained some invaluable experience and contacts, one of which I still regard as my mentor today. I presented the findings of my research on a virtual panel (due to Covid) with other researchers and attended the in-person event in Iceland in 2021. Alongside completing this research, I started a role as a GIS Analyst for Devon and Cornwall Police working with the Major Crime Department. This was my first experience in the professional world and opened my eyes to how large organisations operate. I learnt a lot from working for the Police and was even awarded a commendation for my contributions towards the G7 Summit in Cornwall, but felt it wasn't truly where my passion lied and so started to look for jobs in the renewables space. It was in Iceland that I met the CEO of TownRock Energy and was offered the role as a Geothermal Geologist in Edinburgh. I couldn't miss this opportunity and upped sticks from the south of England to Scotland to follow my passion! I worked in this role for a year and loved exploring geological data to better understand geothermal applications within the UK. It was a very exciting time to be at the forefront of geothermal development in such an immature industry. In January 2023 I moved to my current role as a Geospatial Analyst for Vekta Group. I thoroughly enjoy my job and bring together the skills I gained during my time at university and writing my paper, as well as from both of my previous roles in the Police and for TownRock Energy. "

"Outside of work I love to play netball and play in a competitive league in Edinburgh. I find this is a big stress reliever as it really takes my mind off any of the other stresses life brings, as well keeping me fit! Also I like to cycle, run and hike in the Scottish highlands, with the aim of bagging as many Munros (a Scottish mountain taller than 914m) as I can. I enjoy reading non-fiction books to learn more about how the brain works, self-development and mind management. I also love to travel! I have previously travelled to South East Asia, New Zealand, Australia and Europe. My favourite place to visit is Iceland (because of the geology of course!). "

"As my role is desk based, the majority of my time is spent on the computer. My days will start by checking emails and Teams to make sure no requests have come in over night which need addressing. I will then speak with the other members in my team to see how our workload is looking and discuss whether anyone needs help. After this I tend to get stuck into the task at hand, this usually involves doing some research or analysis for the report I'm writing. Alternatively it may be testing a tool the software team have developed and need some feedback on. I'm also involved with client meetings to understand their needs and how we can provide what they're requesting. I tend to work under my own instruction and ask for feedback or help when I feel it is necessary. I have the option to work from home or in the office and have grown to enjoy a mix of both to suit the task which I'm working on. Sometimes it is nice to have the peace and quiet at home. But then it is very helpful being in the office and bouncing ideas off each other. "

"A Levels - Geography, Mathematics and Economics. Undergraduate Degree - BSc Geography Postgraduate Degree - MSc Structural Geology with Geophysics. After finishing university I started as a GIS Analyst for Devon and Cornwall Police in 2021. In 2022 I moved to Edinburgh for a role in a geothermal consultancy, TownRock Energy, as a Geothermal Geologist. In 2023 I started my current role as a Geospatial Analyst for an offshore wind consultancy, Vekta Group Energy Division."