Patricia Guerra-Escobar, Geosynthetics
Patricia Guerra-Escobar
principal engineer
Geosynthetics

I have over 20 years of civil engineering experience, mainly in Geotechnics, Soil mechanics and Geosynthetics. I am chartered Civil Engineer from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in the UK. Since March 2010, I have worked at Geosynthetics Ltd. (UK), first as a design engineer and subsequently as the principal engineer of the company and manager of the Engineering department. I am responsible for the designs and calculations produced by Geosynthetics Ltd. A key aspect of my role is to ensure continued development and growth in technical knowledge and applications using Geosynthetics for the team and the company. I provide technical support to consultants, contractors and specifiers in all the stages of the projects, from planning and design to construction. In addition, I deliver technical seminars to designers, contractors, government agencies and universities concerning the design and application of Geosynthetics. I also look to innovate for the company through research and development of new methods, applications and geosynthetic solutions to use in civil and geotechnical engineering. In addition to my work at Geosynthetics Ltd., I am currently member the Council of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and Chair of the European Regional Activities Committee (ERAC). I am also member of the Technical Committee TC218 of the ISSMGE (International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineer), which is responsible for the guidelines, technical recommendations and best practices of reinforced fill structures. I am past chair of the IGS UK Chapter for the period 2020-2022 I have been fortunate that my work in Geotechnics and Geosynthetics has taken me to a number of countries. My engineering career actually began in Colombia, where I first worked as a consultant engineer performing designs of roads and pavements, before joining the biggest manufacturer of Geotextiles and Geocomposites in Colombia. For this company I developed design manuals for Geosynthetic applications and provided technical support to engineers for their designs and working on site in the construction of highways, roads, retaining walls, slopes, landfills and erosion control projects. On leaving Colombia, I went to France to do a MSc in Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical engineering and worked in a large French company which specialised in retaining structures and design of shallow and deep foundations. Then immediately prior to my work at Geosynthetics Ltd, I worked for eight years as a technical manager in a company operating in Central America. My duties required me to travel extensively across the Central American region seeking ways to expand the use of Geosynthetics and find new areas for development within the industry. I worked beside experts in the field and mentored Civil Engineers in Geotechnics and Geosynthetics, all of which has greatly helped and influenced my subsequent work.