Ann Williams (WEG Chair)

Ann is a technical specialist in the fields of engineering geology and hydrogeology based in Auckland, New Zealand. As a consultant she has scoped directed and reviewed projects across New Zealand and in Australia, Pacific and South-East Asia, from concept design through investigation, modelling, consenting, to construction. As a manager of some 630 people, a Board Member of Engineering New Zealand, past Chair and Life member of the New Zealand Geotechnical Society Inc., and past Vice President of the IAEG, Ann has significant first-hand experience of the opportunities for women in the discipline. Ann was the recipient of the 2022 NZGS Geomechanics Lecture Award. Ann was the first female and/or first Engineering Geologist to take on most of these roles or recognition awards. She is somewhat dismayed at the number of firsts still to be had for women in Engineering Geology in 2024.

Anika Braun (Germany)

Anika is a senior lecturer at the Department of Engineering Geology at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany. She teaches various classes from Engineering Geology 101 to GIS and Machine Learning. In her research, Anika works on landslides, using a wide range of field, modelling, and remote sensing techniques. She did a Post-Doc at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and has worked on international research projects (including with Colombia, Cameroon, and Indonesia), and many more. Since 2020, Anika has served as the secretary of the German National Group of IAEG. She has worked in the early career chapter of the German Geotechnical Society from 2018 to 2022 and is currently the country representative of YEG in Germany. She is also a member of the GeoUnions Standing Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction representing INQUA. Anika is somewhat puzzled as to why despite the high rates of successful female Engineering Geology students there is still a lack of female representation in national and international boards and conferences.

Anjila Malla (Nepal/ Japan)

Anjila Babu Malla holds an MSc in Engineering Geology from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and an MSc in Earth and Geoenvironmental Science from Shimane University, Japan. She is currently an Engineering Geologist at Geotech Solutions International (GSI), contributing to both national and international projects. Presently on study leave, Anjila is pursuing her Ph.D. at Shimane University, where her research focuses on land subsidence mechanisms in marine and lake sediments. She has led geotechnical labs at GSI, working on projects related to landslides, expressways, and land subsidence. Additionally, she has played a key role in developing Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plans for several local governments in Eastern Nepal. Currently, Anjila is the Coordinator of the Women in Engineering Geology (WEG) group of the Nepal Society of Engineering Geology (NSEG).

Felicia Weir (Australia)

Dr. Felicia Weir is a Director and Principal Engineering Geologist, who specializes in geotechnical open pit slope design and operational support. Her recent work has focused on rock fall risk, discrete fracture networks and management of unstable slopes in both Australia and Southeast Asia. Beyond her professional achievements, Felicia is passionate about earth science education. She is also a strong advocate for both the support and promotion of women in STEM, particularly in the field of open pit mining.

Helen Reeves (United Kingdom, North Europe VP IAEG)

Helen is an Engineering geologist over 20 years’ experience: leading multi-disciplinary ground engineering project teams, engineering geological mapping, rock mass characterisation, geohazard mapping & geomechanics. At Jacobs she is currently a Director & Head of Discipline for Geoscience & Engineering Geology, where she is helping to shape and mentor Geoscientists and Engineering Geologists. She is currently an IAEG VP for Europe.

Jean Hutchinson (Canada)

Jean is currently Professor of Geological Engineering at Queens University in Canada. Jean’s research and consulting work over the past 40 years has focused on various aspects of ground support as well as instrumentation and monitoring, under the umbrella of risk-based assessment. She teaches field courses exploring the opportunities to integrate closure planning, reuse of waste and progressive decommissioning within the mining cycle.
Jean is passionate about promoting inclusivity, helping students and early career professionals to thrive both technically and emotionally in often challenging work environments.

Sandra Paula Villacorta Chambi

Sandra Paula Villacorta Chambi is an engineering geologist with international experience in natural hazard modeling, terrain analysis, and geospatial data systems and AI-based data management. She holds a PhD in Environmental Risk Analysis and a Master’s in the Sustainable Use of Mineral Resources. She has led key disaster risk reduction initiatives in Peru, including the development of the country’s first national landslide susceptibility map in 2012, and has provided technical support to local governments in the design of Disaster Risk Management Plans. Passionate about education and public outreach, Sandra actively promotes equity and inclusion in the geosciences. She serves as Chair of the Commission on Geoscience Education (COGE) of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), as President of the Peruvian National Group of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG Peru), and a member of Women in Earth and Environmental Sciences Australasia (WOMEESA).

Sandra coordinates the annual organization of the Peruvian Women in Geoscience Forum and regularly collaborates on regional initiatives to advance gender equity in STEM. In recognition of her contributions, she received the Geoethics Medal in 2021.


Tümay Kadakci Koca (Türkiye)

Dr. Tümay Kadakci Koca is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Engineering at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Türkiye. She teaches Engineering Geology, Rock Mechanics, and Slope Stability and Landslides. She serves on the board of the Turkish National Group of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG). With over 10 years of experience, she has contributed to projects on slope stability, remedial measures in open-pit mining and construction areas, and geohazard assessment. Her current research focuses on post-wildfire changes in geo-material properties and their implications for geohazards. She actively mentors young geoscientists through teaching and international collaboration.

Attah M. Fakeye (Nigeria)

 

Dr. Attah Motunrayo Fakeye is an accomplished Engineering Geologist with over two decades of progressive research leadership in building and road infrastructure development. She holds a degree in Geology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Groundwater Resources Engineering from the University of Calabar, Nigeria. She subsequently obtained an M.Sc. in Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation (specializing in Geo-engineering) from the University of Twente, Netherlands, under the prestigious Netherlands Fellowship Award, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Geology from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

With more than 25 years of service at the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), She has positioned herself at the nexus of geoscience, infrastructure performance, and sustainable development. She played a pivotal role in the nationwide investigation of engineering characteristics of subgrade soils, pioneering the application of GIS technology in digitizing subgrade soil zonation maps. This initiative culminated in the development of the first Nigerian Engineering Subgrade Soil Atlas, officially launched by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2018.

Currently serving as Chief Research Officer and Head of the Terrain Evaluation and GIS Unit at NBRRI, she leads multidisciplinary research focused on geotechnical assessment, spatial analytics, hazard evaluation, and infrastructure resilience.

Dr Fakeye is the National Secretary and a Fellow of the Nigerian Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (NAEGE), a Corporate Member of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), a Member of the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), and a Registered Member of the Council of Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG), among other professional affiliations.

Countries with National WEG Groups

Nepal
Coordinator: Anjila Malla

Nigeria
President NAEGE: Salome Waziri
Vice-President NAEGE: Attah Fakeye