Get to know us

Our Commitee

Mark Houchen

Mark Lee

Chair

Norline Martin

Treasurer

Phil Merrin

Conor Lydon

Committee Member

I work for Tetra Tech where I lead our groundwater and geothermal team, with a particular focus on water resource management for water companies and the decarbonisation of heat in public sector buildings. I’m a qualified hydrogeologist with over 20 years’ consultancy experience across the UK and Ireland, delivering projects spanning groundwater resource assessment, contaminant hydrogeology and geothermal solutions for public and private sector clients.

Outside of work I enjoy walking with my wife, kids and dog, playing football, and cooking - with mixed reviews from the family. I also serve as Club Secretary for my local Scouts charity, dealing with governance, meetings and stakeholder communications. When I have accumulated enough brownie points, I can occasionally be found skiing with friends - usually at speed and with a strong focus on self-preservation.

Emily Crane

Social Media Manager

I work as a hydrogeologist for the Environment Agency in the Thames area Groundwater Resources and Hydrology team. Our role includes managing groundwater resources in our area through licensing and implementing policies such as the Water Framework Directive, working with a wide range of stakeholders. I continue to enjoy the variety that a career in hydrogeology provides – mine has certainly been heterogeneous! We can immerse ourselves in deep technical understanding of a problem or zoom out and help laypeople get the gist of our rather mystical hidden science.

Beyond hydrogeology I have two children, co-lead a Woodcraft Folk youth group for a rabble of 6 to 9 year olds, and am a figure skater.

Lauren Ballarini

Committee Member

I work as a Principal Hydrogeologist in the Hydrogeology team at Assystem. My main focus is currently on major infrastructure projects but I support the wider business on all hydrogeological matters. Outside of work I enjoy bell ringing but mainly I act as social organiser, taxi driver, cook and bottle washer for my four young children.

Kathryn Tate

Webmaster

I am a Graduate Consultant at Ramboll UK after graduating from Newcastle University with an MSc in Hydrogeology and Water Management. My main work is focussed on hydrogeology and abstraction licensing as well as contaminated land and ground investigation. I am currently working on a wide range of projects across the UK and internationally.

Outside of work, I love crafting and enjoy crocheting and sewing. I am a keen cook and enjoy baking for my friends and family. And like any good geologist, I enjoy being in the outdoors.

Laura Holliday

Committee Member

I joined the British Geological Survey in 2024, having previously spent around 4 years working internationally with Groundwater Relief. My work at GWR focused on groundwater projects in humanitarian and development contexts, allowing me to learn about lots of different aquifers in wildly different contexts! Although BGS marks my first time working on UK groundwater projects, I’ve long benefited from the support and expertise of many UK-based hydrogeologists who volunteered their spare time to GWR, and I’m very much looking forward to engaging more with the UK hydrogeology community through the Hydrogroup Committee.

I’ve got a couple of horses and far too many dogs (the favourite being aptly named Garnet Mica Schist). I love pretty much anything that involves being outdoors in the fresh, blustery air, and any spare second that I’m not chasing sheep and cows is spent up a hill/biking/climbing/surfing (incredibly badly, mind you)!

Julia Soares

Committee Member

I am a hydrogeologist specialising in groundwater modelling at Groundwater Science, based in London. My work spans a diverse range of projects, including water resources, mining, and WASH initiatives. Outside of work, I enjoy climbing, hiking, practising yoga, and exploring the outdoors on long walks with my dog.

Ying He

Committee Member

I work as a Hydrogeologist in the Environment Agency. I provide technical advice on groundwater resources, including different stages of abstraction licence applications, WINEP, and WFD compliance. I also work on the groundwater quality monitoring network, planning applications, environmental permits, and incident response.

Outside of work I love swimming, painting, karaoke, and walking in the sun (or in the rain).

Anna Besien

Committee Member

I have worked for the Environment Agency for nearly 27 years as a hydrogeologist. During that time, I have been involved in a variety of water resources, water quality and contaminated land projects and permitting. I was the West Midlands lead on Groundwater Quality Monitoring and Groundwater Drinking Water Protected Areas (Safeguard Zones). I am currently on assignment to the Landfill, Deposit for Recovery and Climate Change Team looking at the environmental challenges of developing on historic landfill. Outside of work I enjoy cycling, dancing and Zumba and always have one or more knitting or crocheting projects on the go.

Hannah Ritchie

Committee Member

I am a hydrogeologist at WSP in Shrewsbury. I sit in the water resources team, where I work on a range of projects, which include groundwater modelling, nature-based solutions, and quarrying works. I love to get out on site when I can, undertaking flow gauging, monitoring, and site walkovers.

Outside of work I love to climb and hike and am learning French.

Kieran Topen

Early Careers Officer

I work for Sweco in their Leeds office as a consultant hydrogeologist. My work focuses primarily on water resource management, borehole feasibility assessments, aquifer pollution and a wide range of different national infrastructure projects. I also sit on the Early Careers sub-committee for the Hydrogroup. After hours I enjoy running, rock climbing (bouldering) and questionable DIY projects around the house.

Committee Secretary

I’m a hydrogeologist and geothermal engineer at Tetra Tech, where I’ve worked for the past three years after moving across from a long career in oil and gas. As a geothermal engineer, I’m interested in shallow geothermal as a way of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels for heating. I’m particularly interested in the groundwater modelling needed for open-loop GSHP systems, but much of my work is in more general hydrogeology too — looking at groundwater flooding, drinking water supplies and the many other topics within this wide-ranging discipline.

Outside work, I now have a dog to keep me busy since my three children are mostly independent. I run, swim and cycle — none terribly proficiently — and spend a lot of time in my riverside garden.

I currently work for Jacobs where I am Head of Technology for Engineering Hydrogeology. My main focus is on major infrastructure projects, sustainable management of groundwater, and climate resilience. I am keen to expand routes into industry to help safeguard the future of hydrogeology as a profession.

Outside of work, when not wrangling two young children, I am fighting a losing battle to retain some semblance of fitness. I also run the Beavers and Cubs groups in the village where I live.

I am Associate Director at AtkinsRealis based in Oxford. Over the years I have provided diverse water resources development, management and planning services to UK water companies and regulators. I have also provided short-term technical expertise to overseas water resources project including hydrogeology/drilling review, developing borehole drilling and rehabilitation works specifications and groundwater availability assessments.

Outside of work, I'm usually in the garden, head buried in a book or planning my next arm weather escape to the Caribbean.

Rhiannon Marchi-Smith

Committee Member