Elizabeth Pearce

We’re celebrating International Women’s Day 2023 this week by highlighting some of the remarkable women who are helping to make Australia’s geospatial sector a world-leader.

In this interview we speak with Elizabeth Pearce, who is Deputy Director, Strategy and Integration, Office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), in the Australian Space Agency.

Please tell us about your current role and responsibilities.

I am the lead for the Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Space Priority Area (SPA) set out in the Australian Civil Space Strategy. I am responsible for writing the PNT roadmap that sets the direction for PNT in Australia out to 2030. This requires me to be familiar with all aspects of the broad scope of PNT as well as which industry and research institutions we have in Australia that work in this field, and how they’re different to international capabilities. I am also responsible for promoting and representing the Australian Space Agency on an international stage in all PNT matters. This requires a lot of coordination across the Australian Government as well as industry and academia.

How did you get into this field? What attracted you to it?

My career journey has not been a straight line. I started out with an interest in space weather, which was fostered during my honours year at University of Newcastle. I discovered during my first research program that you can use GPS signals to infer the number of electrons in the ionosphere that can affect communication technologies. That brief exposure to GPS put me above the pack when applying for a graduate position in Defence Science and Technology Group (then Organisation) in the PNT Technologies and Systems group. When the Agency was announced, I saw an opportunity to return to the space focus, where my PNT experience was relevant and useful but in a really different way to my previous work… which was exciting.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Connecting with the industry in Australia, learning what they are doing and what they need to grow. I feel a really strong connection to everyone I’ve been working with, and I like to think that my job is helping them in some way.

Are there any personal qualities or attributes that are helpful to have in this field?

Communication skills are a strong part of what makes my job possible. Technical understanding is definitely a requirement, however, I find being exposed to multiple areas and being able to translate between them can often result in high impacts that would have otherwise been unrealised.

What makes you most proud about your role and achievements?

I am making a difference. All the work we do at the Agency has direct impact on the industry, and it’s really great to see. Particularly in PNT — it’s a capability that has become invisible to most people but it’s so prevalent and so important. I like knowing I’m working to protect our way of life.

As a woman, have you had many struggles during your career? Conversely, have you had a lot of support?

Honestly, I’ve had a lot of difficulties that I didn’t realise were difficulties until later and reflecting back. I think most women in STEM have. The challenge is whether you get stuck in that reflection or not. I find those that set you back do it in small bites, but those who support you will make a huge difference in moving forward in your career. My greatest supporters made huge changes to my capabilities, knowledge and confidence, which led to where I am today. Those that set me back (and there were many tiny steps back) have taught me how NOT to do it when I am a leader. It has also made me very aware of the new women who join my team or work close to me, to ensure they don’t have to endure the same tiny cuts I did. We have a lot of women in the Agency, especially in the CTO team, which thankfully means this kind of thing doesn’t happen… which is really refreshing.

We need to get more women into the geospatial/space sector. Do you have any ideas?

Recruit from adjacent areas of knowledge, e.g. mathematics, engineering etc. I think having an understanding of how important the geospatial and space sectors are in everything we take for granted will help sell the roles. Without those industries, life as we know it would end, so we need to really start selling their importance more in the general community.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

The geospatial industry touches every other industry in existence, including space, and that is powerful!