– Life as a Top Aerospace Engineer –
Dr. Joni Sytsma is a top aerospace engineer who began her career at the United States Air Force Research Laboratory before moving to Australia to join the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experiment program with the Defence Science and Technology group.
Australian Space Program
Today, Dr. Sytsma is the Chief Technology Officer of the Australian based Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics Program (aka the iLAuNCH program), a collaboration between universities and industry to develop Australia’s sovereign space capability.
Driver of Innovation
As CTO of iLAuNCH, Dr. Sytsma manages Australia’s $180 million space program. She is also a mentor for an Australian science and industrial research organization called ON Prime.
There, she helps research teams of two to five people take their projects to the next level through customer discovery activities and more.
Personal x Professional
On the personal side, Dr. Sytsma is a proud trans person, who is passionate about supporting the LGBTQIA+ community in deep tech.
She believes the more diverse minds that are supported to deliver this value, the more innovative the solutions to the world’s problems will be.
Reasons to Listen
This will be a talk worth listening to for:
- those interested in finding out more about what being a rocket scientist is truly all about
- those wanting to uncover what it takes to excel within this world
- those who are looking for inspiration in so far as hearing from a professional who has built an exceptional career from the ground up
Listeners will come away with insights on:
- what research and development is all about in the aerospace industry
- day in the life of a rocket scientist
- why aerospace engineering could be an excellent field and career option to sink oneself into right now
- an essential soft skill an aspiring aerospace engineer leader needs to develop in order to climb the ladder of professional success
- an appealing aspect to being an aerospace engineer
- Dr. Sytsma’s pathway into aerospace engineering
- the value in taking calculated, planned risks
- what it was like to transition from an engineer to a position of authority within the aerospace industry
- what it’s like to work in a field where tech keeps altering the fundamentals of the profession
- challenges associated with being a rocket scientist
- rewards of the work
- how she handles the controversial elements of the work associated with aerospace engineering (weaponry and defence)
- how Dr. Sytsuma manages the stresses and pressures associated with the work
- an engaging story involving rocket launches, failure and getting through difficult times
- the mindset required to be an effective aerospace engineer
- Dr. Sytsma’s prediction in terms of a major challenge facing much of humanity when it comes to space and space technology
- much more!
A Memorable Quote from the Episode:
“These research and development learning cycles are what the game is all about. It’s make assumptions, test those assumptions, fail, learn, repeat. And then the next time you blow up the rocket, blow it up in a new and exciting way.”
-Dr. Joni Sytsma
Check out the Video Conversation:
For those who desire to view video highlights of the conversation, you can do so via Youtube.
Discover More
For those interested in learning more about Dr. Sytsma and her work, you can check out the Australian Space Program iLAuNCH, or follow her on the following platform:
Keep Listening!
I hope you enjoyed the episode. For more, check out additional episodes here!
