R&M Expands Fairbanks Office with New Geotechnical Engineer
Lauren Southerland recently joined R&M Consultants as a Staff Geotechnical Engineer in the firm’s Earth Sciences Department.
In this role, Southerland supports subsurface investigations and site characterizations, geotechnical and environmental site investigations, and geotechnical analysis, including slope stability, bearing capacity, lateral earth pressures, settlement, axial and lateral pile capacity, structural pavement section design, and liquefaction potential. She is based in R&M’s Fairbanks office, bringing the firm’s Fairbanks-based employees to seven.
“We are very excited to welcome Lauren to the Earth Sciences Department,” says Bob Pintner, R&M’s group manager of geotechnical engineering and geology. “Along with great enthusiasm for field work, she brings diverse experience in soil and rock engineering from her previous geotechnical work in California and Colorado, not to mention her advanced proficiency in GIS. Lauren’s connections with the Fairbanks community make her a perfect fit for expanding our presence in interior Alaska.”
Southerland went to high school in Fairbanks and earned a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from UAF. She moved away to earn a master’s degree in geological engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.
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November 2026
Southerland has six years of geological and geotechnical engineering experience, specializing in geologic hazards assessment, field mapping, shallow and deep foundation design, slope stability, and seepage modeling. Since joining R&M, Southerland has conducted geotechnical investigations for the Port of Nome Modification, Phase II.
“R&M has an exceptionally great reputation, and I’m really excited to work with leaders in engineering in the Arctic,” Southerland says. “There’s a lot of great resources and expertise for different markets and technical aspects at the firm.”
Southerland enjoys being outdoors, either biking, camping, fishing, gardening, hiking, or hunting. She is also a member of the Association of Engineering Geologists.
