Yasamin Bayley (Graduate Engineering Geologist at Fairhurst) is the winner of the AGS Early Career’s Poster Competition 2026. Here we talk to her about her role, what attracted her into the industry and what inspired her to create her winning poster design.

Can you provide an overview on your career history, current role, and responsibilities?

I have been working in the industry for 3 years, having started at Fairhurst following completion of my MSc at the University of St Andrews. My current role as Graduate Engineering Geologist at Fairhurst involves a wide range of geo-environmental, geotechnical and mining projects working with residential, commercial, and infrastructure developments. I am involved in the preparation and management of geo-environmental and geotechnical ground investigations, subsequent interpretative reporting and remediation projects for a variety of developments. I also undertake rock slope stability inspections and have experience in site supervision of rock slope remedial works construction.

What attracted you into the industry?

Having always been curious and inspired by the natural world, I was interested in a career in the natural sciences from an early age. I studied Earth and Atmospheric Science at Cornell University and had the opportunity to develop a fantastic knowledge base in earth systems which cemented my interest in the geoscience field and to my continued education. During my postgraduate degree at St Andrews, I was introduced more in depth to geotechnical and engineering geology concepts which ultimately led me to pursue a career in this particular field.

Can you talk us through your poster design? Why did you decide to produce the poster as a collage?

The idea for my poster began with thinking that a ground model, with each insight having its own layer, would be an inspirational basis of design for reaching out to those interested in getting involved in the industry, as ground models highlight the importance of investigation and the discovery of the world around us that we achieve in our profession. I chose to do a hand-written poster as a nod to the hand sketches we often begin our design drawings with. Then I thought about the importance of the clarity in message and communication our drawings and figures need to have and that simple, block colours (like those of pieces of a collage!) would allow the text to be read by the audience most clearly. I thought the requirements for the poster to be “bold, colourful and eye-catching” would be achieved through collage as well.

What made you choose these five particular insights you have included in your poster?

This was again really driven by the requirement of the poster to be inspirational. I wanted to highlight the insights that I felt could speak to a range of interests of those looking to get involved in the industry. I wanted to highlight both the technical, such as the foundation of geoscience and problem solving, and broader aspects of our work, such as communication. I thought each insight was best presented with examples from my experience thus far. The aim was to get across the variety of projects and sectors that engineering geologists / geotechnical professionals work in. My favourite of the five insights is “The Foundation” as one of my favourite aspects of my job is constantly learning more about the earth system and utilising geoscience knowledge on a day-to-day basis.

Looking ahead, what emerging trends or changes in the industry do you think Early Career Professionals should be paying attention to?

Like many aspects of life in the present day, data gathering and data availability is becoming more and more abundant throughout the industry. Additionally, advances in areas such as modelling and monitoring are making data more readily available which have the potential to greatly improve the quality of our ground investigations, interpretations and designs, and ideally saving time, money and resources. With that being said, it can be easy to get bogged down in hundreds of thousands of data points, and data should be gathered “intentionally.” This process crucially begins with a thorough preliminary conceptual site model and preliminary ground model and identifying what data is required to answer whatever questions within your ground model you have or that the design requires. I recommend that Early Career Professionals take as many opportunities as possible to get experience with different types of geotechnical and geo-environmental datasets, data collection tools, and data processing tools to learn the advantages and disadvantages of each.

How did you find the AGS Annual Conference?

It was a pleasure to have been invited to this year’s AGS conference in London through being recognised as the winner of the Early Career Poster Competition. The range of presentations and attendees from different areas of the industry was impressive and reflects the importance of inter-disciplinary and collaborative work. It was inspiring to see a common theme emerge from many of the presenters and attendees of striving to improve the industry. Overall, it was a great experience to attend the conference and I am grateful for the opportunity.

What advice or words of wisdom that would you give someone who is considering entering the industry?

I’m sure many geologists and university students are familiar with the quote “the best geologists are those who have seen the most rocks” and this is certainly true in the industry. Whether it is solid geology, natural superficial deposits or anthropogenic deposits you are working with, having as much hands-on experience in the field or on site is invaluable. Don’t be afraid to get outside, rain or shine, and get your hands dirty! It will make you a better geologist and build resilience.