Lucy Hoch

Lucy’s professional inspiration and drive as a geotechnical engineer comes directly from her desire to help and protect people from natural disasters. Both of her parents survived the devastating 1976 earthquake in Guatemala. More than 23,000 others did not. Sadly, many deaths were caused by the collapse of traditionally built adobe homes. With proper structural reinforcement, soil improvements and exploration, thousands of lives might have been saved. Living through such tragedy profoundly influenced her family, and inspired Lucy to search for ways to lessen the impact of future earthquakes.

“Knowing that there is something we can do to better prepare when we have to face events like this inspired me to learn more about earthquakes and their effects,” Lucy says. “My master’s thesis involved developing a simplified model for seismic slope displacements, which is a big reason for the loss of lives and infrastructure after an earthquake.”

Now, Lucy is putting her passion and expertise to work for GeoEngineers and still doing her part to ensure that our projects meet technical and safety standards. As a staff geotechnical engineer, Lucy assists project managers with everything necessary to ensure that projects run smoothly and our clients’ interests are protected.

“I spend a lot of time in the field being the eyes and ears for our clients,” Lucy says.

When she’s not on the clock for GeoEngineers and our clients, Lucy enjoys spending time with friends and family, cooking and eating good food, and taking advantage of the outdoor opportunities the Northwest has to offer. She loves hiking, boating, swimming, and relaxing by the water with a good book. Lucy is also an avid runner and marathoner who is looking forward to bagging even more races in the coming years!