Next up in the ‘Get to know us better’ series is Alexandru Balint from Romania.

 

How and why did you get interested in engineering geology?

During the fourth year of study, we had a discipline called “Rehabilitation of degraded land” which seemed very interesting as it combined environmental engineering with engineering geology, hydrogeology and geotechnical engineering. Since then, it was my desire to work in this field of engineering.

 

Where and when did you obtain your undergraduate degree and, if appropriate, your graduate degree(s)?

BSc. in Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Mining, University of Petrosani, Romania.

MSc. in Geological Engineering at the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest, Romania.

 

Who have/has been your most inspiriting mentor/supervisor ?

There are multiple people who inspired me and mentored me during my professional development, so I would probably thank Prof. Maria Lazar, Assoc. Prof. Ciprian Danciu and Assoc. Prof. Florin Faur at the University of Petrosani, Prof. Cristian Marunteanu at the University of Bucharest and my former manager, Sorin Nastase.

 

If you did a thesis, what was your thesis topic? 

Ongoing PhD thesis on the geoenvironmental risks associated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

 

With what companies/organizations did you (have you) worked?

Ramboll, Aecom, Geotechnical Consulting Group UK, OMV Petrom, KazMunayGaz and others.

 

What are your main areas of interest within engineering geology?

Geoenvironmental Engineering.

 

What were (have been) the most memorable projects you’ve been involved with?

  • Assessment of soil and groundwater remediation costs for an industrial site during an extended due diligence project. The project consisted in 10 groundwater monitoring wells, multiple manual boreholes, multiple soil and groundwater samples, over 200 VOC in-situ tests, aquifer permeability tests, contamination 3d modelling and a complex human health risk assessment associated with the contamination.
  • A feasibility study for a large multinational company regarding the remediation of contaminated groundwater. The study consisted in several MODFLOW remediation models including in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), pump-and-treat and natural attenuation.

 

Have you been in IAEG or your local young group?

Member of IAEG and Romanian national group since 2015.

 

Have you won any awards (honours) for your technical achievements or your contributions to your profession?  If so, what were they?  Any other notable achievements?

No significant awards. A notable achievement would be assuming a risk and starting my own business by the age of 30. The company is named ENVIROLAND (www.enviroland.ro) and it focuses on environmental consultancy and landscape design.

 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Looking forward to meeting you all at the EUROENGEO 2021.

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