Sarah works in Lima, Peru as a Senior Scientist / Modeller.  She has a degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Milan, Italy, and a PhD in groundwater modelling from the University of Birmingham, UK.  Prior to joining WMC, her career included consultancy for two international environmental engineering companies in Italy, and groundwater modelling for the Environment Agency of England and Wales.  When Sarah joined WMC in 2002, she was initially based in Shrewsbury, UK, as a specialist groundwater modeller.  She was involved in a wide variety of modelling projects, including large-scale open pit dewatering and depressurisation studies, regional water resources assessments and R&D projects on groundwater recharge and depth-dependent flow in limestone aquifers.

Sarah then transferred to Chile in November 2004, where she spent 18 months living and working in the Atacama Desert, but with regular travel to the WMC office in Santiago.  During this time, she had the chance to develop her experience in field hydrogeology and mining hydrology, whilst continuing her involvement in modelling projects both in the UK and Chile.  In May 2006, Sarah transferred, to the Lima office, where she leads a mining hydrology team.

Sarah enjoys the exciting opportunities that WMC has given her to live and work in different countries, thanks to which she is now fluent in English, Spanish and French, in addition to her native Italian.  She also welcomes the challenges of business development and sharp-end stakeholder contact in her projects.  Sarah feels that joining WMC has been highly beneficial for both her personal and career development.  “The best thing about this job”, she says, “is variety; you can sit in the office running groundwater flow simulations one day, and be doing a spring survey in the Andes the next day”.

Anne is a Project Engineer in Denver, USA, specializing in water resources and hydrology, and focusing her career on providing engineering support for the mining and solid waste industries.  A typical project might involve estimating the amount of rainfall and runoff flowing over and around the project site.  Then, based on those calculations, she designs and supervises the construction of surface water diversion structures to control water and sediment.  She says the best part of her job is the diversity of projects: "I have worked on mine sites in the jungles of Indonesia and the high desert plains of Arizona.  Besides geographical diversity, I have worked on sites in all stages of development from initial planning, to operating, closure and reclamation.  Each project has its own set of challenges and unique opportunities."

Anne hasn't always been interested in surface water and engineering.  When in Europe as a exchange student she loved the architecture, and considered a career in architecture:"I couldn’t understand how architects designed buildings without knowing if they would stand up.  With thinking like that, I guess I was born to be an engineer, so I went to engineering school.  I liked the environmental classes best, so I focused on the water resources aspects of engineering."  She describes engineering design as being a very creative activity, often with more than one way to solve a problem: "It is the difficult act of balancing the best science with project constraints that often leads to creative solutions."

Anne loves her work.  She worked for two other consulting firms prior to joining WMC, and based on her past experience, she feels that WMC is the right place to develop her career.  Looking back on the preparation needed for her job, Anne comments: "WMC is a company full of highly qualified professionals.  While you need at least a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering, this job requires many skills not learned in the classroom.  Early in my career, a superior told me that I should treat my internal bosses like my own clients, and this advice has provided me with a touchstone for providing my clients and peers with the best service possible."