Meet the Team: Chiao-Pin Cheng | OWC Taipei
At OWC, our teams are constantly expanding into more locations, in expertise, and in sectors of influence. Our people are at the heart of what we do, and we invite you to get to know our team members so you can meet the energy behind change.
For this week’s meet the team, we talked to Chiao-Pin Cheng, a Senior Geotechnical Engineer with OWC in Taiwan.
Position: Senior Geotechnical Engineer
Office: Taipei, OWC Taiwan
Favourite Movie: The Martian, officially, but also have a penchant for zombie movies!
Hobbies Outside of Work: Travelling, photography, and all sorts of fitness (except yoga!)
Can you give us a glimpse into what your day-today entails?
My role as a geotechnical engineer is quite varied.
It mainly comprises of geotechnical interpretative reporting, contributing to ground modelling, foundation screening, a range of engineering analyses that feed into wider designs (e.g. for foundation concept design, cable electrical design, etc.), and technical due diligence reporting.
What first sparked your interest in the geoscience sector?
I first joined marine geotechnics in the oil and gas sector 24 years ago purely for the opportunities to travel but very soon found great love for predicting and modelling the behaviour of soils and rock under different marine engineering applications. The wide-ranging variability of soils and rocks presents unique challenges that requires an engineer to think creatively – this is what I find exciting!
Are there any emerging technologies or innovations in geoscience that particularly excite you?
I am excited for the future application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in geosciences. With so much site survey, experimental, field testing, and post-installation monitoring data that have been acquired, there is a real opportunity to use AI and ML to optimize predictions and design.
How does your work enhance OWC’s service offerings in Taiwan?
OWC’s APAC geo team has a strong track record in site investigation management and offshore client representation on the owner’s behalf. The capability to provide post-survey engineering support, alongside the work of OWC’s foundation team, means we can offer our APAC (and global) clients an extended suite of services that require geotechnical engineering inputs.
What’s been a recent highlight for you within your work at the ABL Group?
I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to be the geotechnical lead, in collaboration with the wider OWC team, in a unique project on the workflows of suction-bucket-supported jacket (SBJ) design.
The dynamic interactions with other experts in multi-disciplinary projects, such as the SBJ project, is the most scintillating and exhilarating aspect of working within the ABL group.