Career story
As a kid, Kimberley was inspired by rovers on Mars, deep space probes to the distant planets, and images from the Hubble Space Telescope of faraway galaxies. She knew she wanted to work in the space industry. The problem was, she was interested in everything, from science and technology to policy and space medicine.
In the end, it was an astronaut on the radio who inspired her to start by studying mechanical engineering. Since then, Kimberley has built an incredible career covering nearly every aspect of the sector.
Turning science fiction into science fact
As Director of CSIRO’s Space Program, Kimberley has worked with over 150 researchers from CSIRO and other organisations across dozens of research projects developing new cutting-edge space technologies and capabilities with the potential to lead to future public good and commercial opportunities for the Australian space sector.
Supporting Australia in space
This has led to the in-space demonstration of several new technologies, including materials designed for the space environment like additively manufactured satellite components, printed solar arrays and radiation shielding materials. And CSIRO’s Multi-Resolution Scanner, a 3D mapping device that fits on NASA’s Astrobee free-flying robot inside the International Space Station (ISS), was launched in 2024 and is now available to all ISS users to complement their research activities.
The Space Program also led to the establishment of two new space facilities within CSIRO – the Space Optics lab, where the CyanoSense imager to detect harmful algae from space is being developed, and the In Situ Resource Utilisation Facility or ‘Moon in a room’, a lunar surface analogue for testing technologies destined for the Moon.
Kimberley also oversees activities including the use of satellite technologies to understand and monitor changes in the environment and ecosystems from paddock to planetary scales, as well as the use of ground-based instruments to better understand and forecast space weather and track objects in space.
“Some of these are well outside the scope of what I imagined when I started studying mechanical engineering,” Kimberley says. Needless to say, she loves her job.
“It’s that sense of adventure. There’s still so much that’s unknown. There’s still room for people to make exciting discoveries.”
Career journey
During her PhD, Kimberley also completed the International Space University’s Space Studies Program, majoring in space law and policy.
She also volunteered as the Program Director for the South Australian Space School and National Space Camp for over a decade.
Kimberley joined CSIRO in 2008.
Kimberley completed the ISU’s Executive MBA in 2012.
Kimberley has led CSIRO’s space activities since 2018, and more recently she has also had oversight of a range of activities related to the delivery of CSIRO's responsibilities for the SKA-Low radio telescope.
Kimberley serves on a number of advisory boards and committees within the space sector.
In 2025 Kimberley received the Australian Space Award for Female Space Leader of the Year.