geotechnicians working on site.

                               

                             

The Work

Geotechnicians support the work of professional geoscientists by collecting and analysing information from rock samples.

Much of your work as a geotechnician would involve routine laboratory duties such as:

• preparing rock, soil and water samples for testing
• analysing the chemical make up and physical properties of samples.

You would use a range of specialised instruments and computer programs in your work, and you may be responsible for servicing and maintaining laboratory equipment. Depending on the type of research you are carrying out, your other duties could include:

• obtaining and processing geophysical data
• logging well and borehole drilling activity
• interpreting data from seismic surveys
• preparing geological maps sections
• supporting teaching staff in university.

As a senior technician, you may also be responsible for training and supervising staff, scheduling work, maintaining quality standards and producing reports for engineers and scientists.

Hours

You would be based in a laboratory, working 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. However, you may occasionally have some evening and weekend work to meet deadlines. If you are involved in equipment maintenance, you could work on an out-of-hours rota system.

In the lab, you would wear protective clothing and use safety equipment when carrying out certain tests.