Eight Indigenous Australian university students have been selected for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at two of the world's leading space and science research centres as part of Monash University's National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA), supported by the Australian Space Agency and CSIRO.
Coming from across Australia, the students will head to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA/JPL) in California and the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) RAL Space for a ten-week education program to work on exciting space science projects like the biological testing of UV-resistant space organisms, analysing datasets from Jupiter's atmosphere and working on software within NASA's Flight Software Framework.
Now in its third year, NISA has expanded beyond NASA/JPL to also include placements at RAL Space in the UK. Departing Melbourne on 4 September, six of the students will head to NASA/JPL and two will be stationed at RAL Space for ten weeks.
Meet the students:
Heading to RAL Space:
- Chloe Radoll, Anaiwan woman from Tamworth studying at University of Technology Sydney
- Mitchell Cooper, Boandik man from Sydney studying at the University of Sydney
Heading to NASA/JPL:
- Anneliese Joy, Boandik woman from Sydney studying at ANU
- Jackson Hillier, Tyerrernotepanner man from LaTrobe, Tasmania studying at Griffith University
- Keira Moran, Yuin woman from La Perouse, Sydney studying at UNSW
- Kirrin Maynard, Worimi man from Newcastle studying at the University of Newcastle
- Madison Wright, Nyul Nyul woman from Broome, Western Australia studying at ANU
- Matthew Lloyd, Tharawal man from Canberra studying at ANU
Professor Christopher Lawrence, NISA Lead and Associate Dean (Indigenous) at Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology, said the program's expansion to include opportunities in the United Kingdom shows how far NISA has come in just a few short years.
"By partnering with RAL, NASA/JPL, the Australian Space Agency and CSIRO, we are creating pathways for First Nations students to pursue international careers in STEM while bringing Indigenous knowledge and perspectives to the global stage," Professor Lawrence said.
"I hope one day to see the world's first Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander astronaut, and NISA is helping pave that path."
From 1 to 3 September, the 2025 NISA cohort will attend a Space Boot Camp at Monash University's Clayton campus. They will hear from Professor of Space Innovation Retired Lieutenant General Larry James, connect with past NISA participants, meet Monash's Nova Rover and High Powered Rocketry teams, and gain insights into astrophysics, robotics, planetary science, engineering, computer science and aerodynamics.
The Australian Space Agency continues to be the primary supporter of NISA. It is the main funding partner enabling the students to travel to and complete the program at NASA/JPL.
"The Australian Space Agency is proud to be a founding supporter of NISA, which is creating unique opportunities for First Nations students to contribute to some of the world's most advanced space projects," Head of the Australian Space Agency Enrico Palermo said.
"Elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge is one of five of the Australian Government's National Science and Research Priorities.
"Programs like NISA not only open doors for talented students but help integrate important perspectives into the Australian and global space sectors."
Mitchell Cooper, Boandik man and Bachelor of Mechatronic Engineering student at the University of Sydney, is one of the students heading to RAL Space.
"As a proud Boandik man, I am excited to travel to the UK and gain hands-on experience at a world-class research laboratory," Mr Cooper said.
"This is an opportunity I never imagined, and I hope my journey shows other young Indigenous people that there are no limits to what we can achieve in STEM, both in Australia and around the world."
Associate Director of the National Laboratories, UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council, RAL, Dr Hugh Mortimer, said they were thrilled to welcome Chloe Radoll and Mitchell Cooper to the Laboratory this autumn.
"This is an exciting opportunity for students to work on inspirational projects with our RAL Space teams, from building and testing instrumentation and using world-class facilities, to analysing Earth observation and planetary data," Dr Mortimer said.
"We are honoured to be developing this programme between the UK and Australia with Monash University and the Australian Space Agency, and we hope to build on this start so that many more Indigenous students can benefit from similar placements in the years ahead."
CSIRO Education and Outreach Executive Manager, Kym Dyball, said the organisation was proud to support NISA's expansion to the United Kingdom.
"Developing a diverse and inclusive pipeline of STEM talent is essential to Australia's future, and this program highlights the incredible potential of combining First Nations knowledge with cutting-edge science," Ms Dyball said.
Looking ahead, NISA will continue to work with partners across Australia and internationally to increase the scale of the program, support Indigenous-led space start-ups and entrepreneurships, and inspire the next generation of First Nations scientists and engineers.
The NISA education program partnerships with NASA/JPL and RAL are supported by the Australian Space Agency, CSIRO and the Andy Thomas Foundation.
NISA Lead, Professor Christopher Lawrence from Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology, and the 2025 NISA cohort are
