Meet the Team - Bangor Alumni

Alice Gymer - Consultant

I am a MSc Applied Marine Geoscience and BSc Geological Oceanography graduate from the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University, now supporting the Site Characterisation & Engineering team at Intertek Energy & Water as a Marine Geoscience Consultant.

I wanted to study something that combined my love for geology with my interest in the marine environment – studying Geological Oceanography at Bangor was therefore an ideal opportunity and location on Anglesey. Because of this, I have always loved and appreciated the holistic nature of offshore work. This strong interest has carried on and been fulfilled in my current position at Intertek Energy & Water, where we work on a variety of offshore projects (including submarine cables, wind farms, and energy platforms) which require a multi-disciplinary approach.

Being a consultant at Intertek has taught me even more beyond the technical knowledge and skills Bangor provided; I am now a project manager on various workstreams, I have a better understanding of the financial & contractual aspects of projects, I coordinate client representatives on-board survey vessels, and I get involved in the Health & Safety Team and also corporate initiatives (e.g. Zero Waste to Landfill) as the Sustainability Officer. I have additionally had the opportunity to work on other marine projects with Intertek, such as navigational risk assessments, water quality modelling, benthic invertebrates, and marine environmental assessments.

Highlights: I primarily enjoy undertaking constraints analyses for subsea cables to feed into the cable routeing and landfall assessments, which require a multi-disciplinary integration of geological, geospatial, environmental, socio-economic, metocean and practical considerations & datasets. These assessments are also a vital first step in determining the feasibility of the project early on, which saves the Client costs and prevents potential challenges later in development.

Favourite project: The Eastern Green Link (EGL) 3 & 4 interconnector cables between England and Scotland, for which Intertek Energy & Water are the marine technical consultant. I have been involved since the beginning of these complex projects on the financial, technical and now even the environmental sides – since then, the projects have developed significantly with numerous work streams and I have become a Project Manager.  I am very much looking forward to continuing to work on these cables for the next couple years and seeing them into their construction phase.

Paul Taylor – Modelling Team Lead

I graduated from Bangor in 1996 (Physical Oceanography MSc), after spending, unfortunately, only one year in North Wales.  After graduating I managed to get a job with TT Surveys (one of Dr. Mitchelson-Jacob’s contacts – thanks Gay!), working offshore, undertaking shallow hazard seismic surveys. I worked for almost two years, in the South China Sea, the Caspian Sea and the North Sea.  Although it was certainly interesting, I did not want a long-term career working offshore, and in 1998 I got the job I had been looking for – as an environmental consultant involved in the application of numerical models (for example for oil spill modelling) – something I had particularly enjoyed during my MSc. course at Bangor.  After five years in that role, I joined Metoc plc (the company founded by Kevin Deeming –another Bangor alumni) as a Consultant in 2003, and I’ve worked there (more or less) ever since. Metoc was acquired by Intertek in 2010.

At Intertek, we undertake hydrodynamic, water quality, wave, sediment transport and coastal processes modelling (amongst other services), predominantly for the UK and Ireland Water industry, and also for the marine renewables sector.   We use models to understand the pressures on a water environment, to quantify impacts and identify key contributing sources / issues, and then to test and develop the most suitable sustainable solutions. 

Initially my role involved the day-to-day requirements of these modelling studies, which included data analysis and processing, model development, calibration and validation, application of the models and report writing.  As I progressed through my career at Intertek, I gained more knowledge, skills and experience, and took on more responsibility, progressing to Senior Consultant, then Principal Consultant, and now to Modelling Team Leader.

One project that I particularly enjoyed, was the Coastal Investigations Programme for Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW), which including the assessment of water quality at 29 Bathing Waters and 20 Shellfish Waters – including the Menai Straits, as part of the National Environment Programme. As the project manager for Intertek, I managed a project team of 10 modellers, helped specify, evaluate, and manage field surveys, provided technical support on water quality modelling to DCWW’s other consulting partners, as well as attended client, regulator and stakeholder meetings throughout Wales, including several in Bangor.

I am now a Chartered Member of CIWEM (and a Chartered Scientist and Environmentalist).  I find the work we do interesting, challenging and rewarding, and I’m lucky enough to work with a great team of people, many of whom are ex-Bangor graduates, including Kevin McGovern, who I studied Oceanography with back in 1996.

Harry Haspell – Junior Consultant

I studied at Bangor University starting in 2017, doing both my BSc in Geological Oceanography and my MSc in Applied Marine Geoscience which I completed in 2021. 

After graduating, I started working with Intertek Energy and Water and have been enjoying my time with them ever since. I am a Junior Consultant and I do a multitude of tasks and work on many different projects, ranging from water quality modelling with the Modelling team, oil and gas permits with the Environmental team, and various cable routing and navigation assessments with the Cables team. We have a strong Bangor University presence in the company with a diverse set of skills from the different degrees and lecturers we each had.

My other responsibilities are helping on various proposals and will eventually evolve into managing projects around the UK and the rest of the world. I am also one of the fire warden’s and first aiders in the Liphook office of Intertek Energy and Water and help the tender tracking team in finding tomorrow’s work for the company.

My highlights at Intertek are trying out the different types of work each team does and finding the ones I enjoy working on most and sticking with those teams, I enjoy working on the cables team doing cable burial, navigational, and other offshore renewables studies.

An interesting piece of work I have been involved with was a Natural England bedform migration study, as I could directly utilise my skills learnt during my degree at Bangor and teach it to those who had not.

Stephane Theurich – Principal Consultant

I was awarded my bachelor's degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography in 2003. During my undergraduate time I was able to do a number of trips on the Prince Madog, including spending hours sifting seawater samples for a number of PhD students projects! I was also able to spend time using the flume for my third year project on axial convergence in estuaries building on a theory put forth by oceanographer Prof John Simpson. Following that, I swapped disciplines and did the Marine Geotechnics MSc as it was named at the time, this is where I learned about marine geophysical and geotechnical data acquisition and interpretation. I did an Erasmus exchange to Belgium where I completed the research for my thesis on the 3D morphology of buried coral mounds in the Porcupine Basin with Renard Centre of Marine Geology at Ghent University.   

After my early career offshore I joined Intertek Energy and Water Consultancy Services in 2016 where I have been supporting a number of renewable energy and submarine power cable projects worldwide. From putting together survey specifications and managing these surveys to undertaking pre and post survey engineering studies. An notable project is the Sun Cable project which is looking to export renewable power from Australia to Singapore. The survey data acquired over the 4000km are varied and interesting. 

I get to work on some cutting edge renewable power projects together with a great and knowledgeable team mates. I work together with a number of  Bangor Alumni who all fondly remember our time studying in Menai whether recently in the case of our graduates or even longer ago than myself.

Dan Williams –Consultant

I embarked on my academic voyage at Bangor University in 2017, obtaining a BSc in Ocean and Geophysics.  Initially drawn to geophysics, my interest swiftly shifted towards the enthralling domain of ocean physics.  This shift in focus spurred me to attain a Master's degree in Marine Renewable Energy in 2020.

Since completing my education, I've been part of the team at Intertek since 2020, where my role involves hydrodynamics modelling, data and geospatial analysis, and conducting research across various global locations, with a particular emphasis on the UK and Ireland. This position has not only allowed me to travel but also to forge valuable connections within the marine renewable energy sector.

At Intertek, my scope of work has broadened to encompass project management and client interaction, enabling me to steer projects related to sea and river water quality as well as marine energy.  This expansion of responsibilities leverages my academic background for practical application in the field.

One notable project I've contributed to involved the data analysis and modelling of the Menai Strait for water quality. It was odd studying maps of places I know and recommending works at sites I’d walk by on my way to university buildings.

My journey from Bangor University to the present has been a testament to the dynamic interplay between nature and industry within the marine environment.  This journey has not only been about professional growth but also about nurturing the passion for ocean science and renewable energy that was ignited during my university days.