Kim Dyball: Championing Indigenous women in STEM

By  Jessica Hildyard 23 October 2024 5 min read

Setting off on a world tour is exciting enough. For Kim Dyball, it’s about how to create better opportunities for young Indigenous women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Kim is a proud Kalkadoon woman and Executive Manager of the Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy. She is a recipient of the Frank and Helen Zobec Churchill Fellowship to investigate how young Indigenous women are being empowered to thrive in various STEM fields.

A Churchill Fellowship provides awardees up to eight weeks to gain first-hand experience from around the world. Kim plans to use her award to investigate how other countries support young Indigenous women in STEM to become global citizens. 

"I feel an immense sense of gratitude and responsibility, knowing that our project will investigate how young Indigenous women can thrive in STEM across various countries," Kim said.

The Churchill Fellowship is recognition of Kim’s tireless efforts over 30 years in education, youth affairs and policy. Kim has dedicated her life to empowering Indigenous communities – especially young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women – to excel in their chosen fields.

"I call the project ‘our project’ as it is not about me - it is about the young women we serve," Kim said.

"This also means sharing the amazing things our Education and Outreach team does. Together we aim to gather insights that will inform our future programs and create lasting, generational change."

Journey of commitment and change

Kim’s journey began as a primary school teacher. For seven years, she educated children in both urban and remote settings, "including up home, on Country, in Mount Isa," Kim said. 

This is where Kim became frustrated with the "deficit narrative around Indigenous students."

"I knew that with the right environment and opportunities, Indigenous students would absolutely shine," she said.

This experience sparked a passion for ensuring Indigenous students receive support to thrive. Kim moved into executive roles with federal government departments and agencies, including the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

"This gave me the chance to work with communities to develop and implement policies and programs that create and amplify opportunities for Indigenous peoples," Kim said.

Real results shine when together

Kim’s success is not only measured by policy implementation, but by tangible outcomes for the young people and communities she serves.

"I’d say programs like the STEM Academy are successful because of the co-design," Kim said.

"Having conversations with Indigenous peoples and community ensures their voices, aspirations and needs are at the forefront of the work."

Kim is extremely proud the steering committee of the STEM Academy is co-chaired by four alumni.

"This means the STEM Academy is led by young women for young women," she said.

Empowering generational change

Kim’s vision is clear: drive systemic change. This is done by creating environments that reflect and respect the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Working for us with the Inquiry for Indigenous Science Students (I²S²) program, and then the STEM Academy, allowed her to do this.

Kim said she is honoured to lead an amazing team, as  Executive Manager of the Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy, and empower over 650 young Indigenous women. The team are almost all Indigenous women, with backgrounds in education, research, social work and community engagement.

This award-winning initiative provides holistic academic, career, and wellbeing support while creating a nurturing environment that fosters growth in STEM fields. The STEM Academy has a remarkable 94.8 per cent retention rate, well above the national average of young Indigenous women in school.

This is a testament to the team in a sector where Indigenous representation has been alarmingly low. The recent Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review found the lack of visibility, resources, support and role models all contribute to the barriers for girls engagement in STEM.

The review found these challenges are further amplified for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls. These girls were less confident and less interested in STEM, with just 10 per cent expressing interest.

In five years since the first intake, the STEM Academy has empowered 32 young women to graduate from university and step confidently into STEM careers or pursue further studies. Academy support includes hands-on experiences and connecting participants with Indigenous female role models.

Kim and her team ensure these young women not only succeed academically. They also become empowered leaders in their fields, while connecting to culture and peers.

So far, so great

The STEM Academy has also found ways to ensure STEM talent finds their way to CSIRO doors, via the Indigenous Graduate Program. CSIRO has welcomed two Alumni into CSIRO roles, one being Aleisha Knack.

Aleisha is a Gungarri woman from Townsville who joined the STEM Academy in 2019 as a year 11 student. She is now a mentor for the young women in the Academy and continues to advocate for improved Indigenous education outcomes, especially in remote, rural and regional areas.

"Anyone who has been through the process of deciding what to do after school knows it can be hard to decide what pathway is best for you," Aleisha said.

"I was in that situation at the end of year 12, wanting to take a leap and move across the country to pursue a science degree at the Australian National University."

Aleisha reached out to the Academy, and they supported her in accessing scholarships and gaining entry into the course.

"They were there with me throughout the journey from high school to university," Aleisha said.

She is now a graduate researcher at our Environment research unit. Her internship has involved helicopter surveys and setting up camera traps for native fauna, to gaining essential writing skills.

"I've also has leadership opportunities, such as the Wiyi Yani U Thangani Indigenous Women's Summit, all with the Academy's support," Aleisha said.

"The support from the Academy has led me to a career as an ecologist which, before joining the Academy, I never thought was possible, or that this career even existed.

"The Academy's community of tiddas* pursuing a diverse range of STEM careers is growing stronger each year. Together, as young women in STEM, we can make so much change in our communities and on Country, I can't wait to see what the future has in stall for us."

*tiddas – Aboriginal term meaning sister or other female who share a close bond