Prof Lisa Harvey-Smith is the Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador and a Professor of Practice in Science Communication at the University of New South Wales. As Australia’s Women in STEM Ambassador, she advises the Australian Government on gender equity in STEM. Her Office works with the business, education and government sectors to increase the participation of women and girls in STEM education and careers. Her office achieves this through a combination of education, research, advocacy, and policy advice. Lisa sits on several advisory boards including the Engineering for Australia Taskforce, the Questacon Advisory Council, and the Australian Space Agency Advisory Board.

Harvey-Smith is a Ph.D. astrophysicist with 20 years of experience in scientific research, including the use of supercomputers to gain insights from complex data on the evolution of stars, galaxies and black holes. She has written more than 50 academic publications and led global research teams. She was previously the project scientist at CSIRO for both the Square Kilometre Array – a continent-spanning next-generation radio telescope that will survey billions of years of cosmic history - and its precursor, the $188M Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope. She is a recipient of the CSIRO Chairman’s Medal and the Eureka Prize for Promoting the Understanding of Australian Science Research.

Harvey-Smith has presented on ABC Television's popular science series Stargazing Live and has appeared live on stage with Apollo astronauts including Buzz Aldrin. She is a TEDx speaker, regular science media commentator and author of five popular science books including the international children’s bestseller Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime.