Careers

Early Life

Mario was born in Chile. Although his dad was a politician Mario found a love for science. He got degrees in physics and astronomy from the University of Chile. 

Early Life

Susan grew up in Kenya. She studied economics and sociology at University. She also has a Master’s degree in Astronomy.

Susan thinks every child should have the chance to look through a telescope. There are very few astronomers in Kenya. There was also no access to a planetarium when Susan grew up. This made it tough for children to have a go at using a telescope. Many would not know they could do astronomy as a hobby or choose it as a job.

Early Life

Sally grew up in Los Angeles, California. As a child, Sally loved science and her parents encouraged her by giving her a chemistry set and a telescope. Sally studied English and physics at Stanford University. She stayed at Stanford to study for a master’s degree and a PhD. Sally's research was on how x-rays behaved in the interstellar medium. The interstellar medium is the stuff between the stars.

Early Life

Karlie grew up in a small town in New South Wales, Australia. Karlie is a Gomeroi women. The Gomeroi (also spelled Gamilaraay or Kamilaroi) are one of the largest Indigenous nations in Australia.

Karlie did not enjoy school, so her family arranged for elders in her community to tutor Karlie. Their teaching and mentoring helped Karlie to do well in her studies and she developed a love of maths. This support gave Karlie the confidence to continue studying science and maths. She became the first person in her family to go to university.

Early Life

Thebe was born in a rural village in north-west South Africa. He spent his childhood playing outside and sitting by the fire listening to his grandparents tell stories. Thebe went to school in the city of Mmabatho where he became interested in science. He saw Halley’s comet when he was 13 and this inspired him to build his own telescope. He learned how to make a telescope using household items from a book in his local library.

Early Life

Nergis was born in Lahore and grew up in Karachi, Pakistan. She spent her childhood in a home without gender stereotypes. This meant she and her older sister were free to follow their own interests. Nergis developed hands-on and practical skills, including fixing her bike, and enjoyed science and maths. She thought she would become an engineer when she was older. 

Early Life

Divya is from New Jersey, USA and went to the University of Rochester in New York State. While she was there she studied geology and music. During her degree, Divya was also an intern at NASA and at the SETI institute. In 2017, Divya moved to the UK to complete a PhD at University College London.