Her doctoral research considered geotechnical engineering, and the development of 3D finite element limit analysis of wall installation.
[1] She was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she spent two years before going to Perth.
In Australia, Gourvenec worked at Advanced Geomechanics Pty, where she was a member of the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems.
[2][3] Gourvenec develops new technologies to understand ocean structures, including the seabed.
[4] She moved to the University of Southampton in 2017, and was named a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies.