Age: 41

Profession: Wildlife Biologist

Kate grew up in regional South Australia and left school early to start a five-year military career in the Royal Australian Navy, before leaving to study science at university. After receiving her PhD, she’s now Dr Kate—a wildlife biologist and expedition leader, working in remote parts of Australia to discover new species of plants and animals. She has spent a career learning about Australia’s unique flora and fauna.

Kate has practiced bushcraft since she was a little girl, building shelters, finding water, making spears, weaving baskets and lighting fires. Frustrated that the local scouts would not accept her because she was a girl, Kate spent a lot of time immersed in nature on family camping trips.

Kate now lives in the ACT with her partner Elsie. They recently welcomed their first child, a baby girl. She is Kate’s biggest joy, so leaving behind her six-month-old to hopefully inspire her when she grows up has been a big decision for Kate. She also hopes to inspire many more girls to embrace a love of science and biology, to enjoy the outdoors, and to seize every opportunity that is a challenge.

“I’ve learned to think how animals think and understand their behavior. I can identify species from tracks, traces and their calls. I’m not going to be in a rush to kill our native species, as I’ve worked so hard to protect them, but I’m keen to take a shovel so I can target the unseen food right under our feet; tubers, roots and other edibles.”