Commitment to innovation and environmental impact assessments

Meet Laura Lopez, Principal Acoustic Consultant

After a period of studying and working in the United Kingdom (UK), Laura Lopez recently joined Resonate Consultants as a Principal Acoustic Consultant.

With a strong background in the measurement, modelling and assessment of noise and vibration for the construction and operational aspects of large road, rail and industrial infrastructure schemes, Laura brings both expertise and passion to the role.

This experience stems from a dedication to both undertaking study and gaining practical experience. ‘I completed my undergraduate studies in Acoustic Engineering in Colombia, and as soon as I finished, I joined the Environmental Protection Agency of Bogotá, and was involved in the road traffic noise mapping project of the city’ Laura said. After a year of undertaking monitoring of road traffic noise and related studies such as the ‘car-free day’ initiative, Laura travelled to the UK to complete her master’s degree in Acoustics with Environmental Applications in the University of Salford.

With the UK as her home base, Laura steadily built professional experience as an Acoustic Consultant in a multi-disciplinary consultancy firm. ‘The projects I worked on were generally related to infrastructure, road, rail and industrial developments in the UK and the Middle East, for which environmental impact assessments were required’ Laura said.

After looking within the UK for employment opportunities to broaden her horizons, Laura began expanding the search to overseas locations such as Canada, USA and Australia. With professional connections in Australia, Laura was swayed to investigate the Australian jobs market further. And just like that, two weeks before starting the job at Resonate Consultants, Laura made the move to Melbourne. ‘I was drawn to working at Resonate for a few different reasons,’ Laura explained. ‘Firstly, the change in skill development really aligns with my career objectives. Secondly, the values of the company are motivating’.

One such value is that of supporting and promoting employee wellbeing. With an allotted $300 yearly budget for wellbeing, Laura has already enjoyed yoga sessions and time on the tennis court. ‘You get a real sense that the company really cares about the people working here, and that makes a world of difference,’ Laura said.

With innovation being another core value displayed at Resonate Consultants, time is allotted to explore new tools— such as SoundSurfer and SoundSite— and different avenues of operation. ‘The team makes space for innovation and professional development. We have internal training meetings where we can discuss specially-developed tools and technical aspects of our work in consultancy. Resonate Consultants aren’t simply focused on delivering projects; they want to foster well-rounded consultants as well,’ Laura said.

Whilst welcoming the innovation tools has been new to Laura, she has also had to embrace a different skill set since joining the firm. With previous experience in a large firm, focus was placed entirely on project outcomes. In a smaller firm like ours, equal value must be placed on client relations. For Laura, this has meant learning to balance technical and client-facing aspects to deliver on the firm’s core value of being client-centric. As such, Laura has made a concerted effort to continue to develop her acoustic abilities as well as her administrative and managerial skills.

However, with a background in large infrastructure project work, such as working on the HS2 (rail) Project in the UK, Laura has been able to hit the ground running since joining the team in May 2023. ‘I looked at Resonate’s website and noted that they are involved in interesting acoustic projects, and I felt that I could fit into the company and add value with my experience,’ Laura said.

Image credit: hs2.org.au

Her demonstrable background in gathering and summarising the large data inputs required for noise assessments has seen Laura already enjoy involvement in key projects in the Victorian office. ‘The current project I am working on revolves around wind farm noise. While I have conducted other types of noise assessments and analysis before, this is my first time working on a wind farm. It’s been a very interesting experience that has highlighted how subjective noise perception can be’ Laura said.

As our award-winning team has emphasised understanding the new legislations in Victoria regarding the general environmental duty and unreasonable noise, Laura has been able to draw on this expertise to complete further projects in Victoria. This project work has varied from presenting environmental impact assessments for a new siding proposed as part of Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) to working on a small commercial development with a mechanical plant proposed for the rooftop using the SoundSurfer tool.

With such a strong background in environmental acoustics, it makes sense that, in her professional time, Laura loves to spend time in the great outdoors. From biking and playing tennis to running and taking yoga, Laura is happy when exploring what her new home base has to offer.

Always looking for areas to develop and skills to hone, Laura is actually a certified yoga teacher. This passion for continual improvement is also present in her professional life. ‘I would love to take my career to the next level at Resonate Consultants. I want to focus on excelling and absorbing information to enjoy both personal and professional growth,’ Laura said.

Looking for an expert environmental impact assessment? Talk to us today.