Meet Marie-Salomé  Duval-Chanéac – our new champion for sustainability at HERA

We’re very excited to report that our search is over for our new Structural Sustainability and Circular Economy Engineer, with the successful onboarding of Marie-Salomé Duval Chanéac.

With a robust background in Mechanical Engineering and a specialisation in Material Science and Sustainable Infrastructure Systems, Marie-Salomé brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to environmental sustainability to our team.

Jul222024

Marie-Salomé-Duval-Chaneac — Structural Sustainability and Circular Economy Engineer, Marie-Salomé Duval-Chaneac.

A journey rooted in passion and perspective

Marie-Salomé’s journey in engineering is driven by her passion for sustainable practices. “As HERA’s Structural Sustainability and Circular Economy Engineer, I will be dedicated to finding systemic solutions to reduce the environmental impact of our built environment, construction, and steel industry while ensuring safety and resiliency for future generations,” she shares.

Her dedication to sustainability is evident in her previous work as a Research Assistant at the University of Auckland, where she conducted surveys for the Composite Association of New Zealand (CANZ) through the Research Centre CIRCUIT. Here she tracked the volume and types of materials associated with their industrial activity that entered and left useful circulation in Aotearoa.

Having lived and worked in France, England, and Taiwan, she also brings a unique global perspective to her role, saying: “I hope that through our collaborative efforts, we can uphold the commitments made in the Paris Agreement and drive meaningful environmental progress.”

What will Marie-Salomé be working on at HERA?

Marie-Salomé’s interest for material science extends to a deep appreciation for the elements that compose our structures and a commitment to wise resource management. This is complemented by her ongoing pursuit of accreditation in Life Cycle Assessment.

She’ll be applying this passion to HERA’s Construction 4.0 Endeavour Research project, Ngākopa Construction 4.0, which is aimed at transforming the construction sector in Aotearoa using Construction 4.0 approaches. In particular she will contribute to the circular design theme in the quantification of carbon and environmental impact throughout the lifecycle and how to improve the circularity of steel and construction materials.

She will also be contributing to our other sustainability focuses including our materials passport works and our $772 low carbon design project titled “Circular design for a changing environment: a design framework to reduce construction waste, lifecycle embodied carbon, and to enhance the circular economy for construction materials, with a pilot for low-rise buildings”.

Ensuring intergenerational wellbeing

Marie-Salomé is a great fit for our team and is aligned strongly with our hopes to support the achievement of zero carbon steel in Aotearoa. Her work experience for what could be viewed as the French counterpart of HERA, the CETIM (Centre Technique des Industries Mechanique),” also helping her to fit seemlessly into our team dynamics.

Marie-Salomé saying “I am grateful to be part of HERA’s Structural division and to have the opportunity to work alongside a team of highly experienced and qualified engineers.”

“I look forward to contributing to HERA’s mission and leading the way in sustainable engineering practices.”