Our Team | STEM Hub

Meet STEM Hub's Leadership & Creators

If Australia is to meet the future demand for scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians, we must reverse the decline in student interest in STEM. STEM Hub partners with industry, government, and educators to create programs and resources that spark curiosity, build confidence, and make STEM learning relevant and inspiring.

We’re also challenging one of the most persistent myths in education - that you’re either “born” with a science or maths brain, or you’re not. We believe every student has the potential to excel in STEM when given the right opportunities, support, and real‑world connections.

Dr. Jo Zimpel

CEO & Founder

Jo is the founder of STEM Hub and a nationally recognised STEM education leader whose large-scale, curriculum-aligned challenges and outreach programs have earned multiple national honours, including Campaign of the Year 2025 and Merit Awards from the TechDiversity Awards, and a 2024 finalist placement at the Defence & National Security Workforce Awards.

In her role at RMIT University, Jo conceived and leads the Young Women in Aerospace & Defence (YWiAD) program, winner of Best Diversity and Inclusion Program or Initiative 2025 at the Defence & National Security Workforce Awards. Through YWiAD, she has created clear pathways from school to tertiary study and into careers in aerospace, Defence and related growth industries, aligned to national STEM workforce capability priorities.

With more than 15 years’ experience across pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, mining, telecommunications, Defence, tertiary education, and academia, Jo combines technical expertise with strategic program design to inspire the next generation of STEM talent, align education with workforce needs, and connect students to real-world pathways.

Jo holds a PhD in Chemistry, a BSc (Hons) in Applied Physics, has completed the first year of her Executive MBA at UNSW (AGSM), and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and ISO9001 Auditor. She has served on boards and in the Australian Army Reserve, contributing her expertise to both strategic governance and national service.

Awards & Recognition

Through STEM Hub

2025 – Winner, Campaign of the Year, TechDiversity Awards (HydroBot Rumble Challenge)
2025 – Merit Award, Campaign of the Year, TechDiversity Awards
2024 – Finalist, Best Diversity and Inclusion Program or Initiative (Defence & National Security Workforce Awards)
2022 – Finalist, Education, TechDiversity Awards
2019 – Merit Award, Media & Advertising Category, TechDiversity Awards

Through RMIT University

2025 – Winner, Best Diversity and Inclusion Program or Initiative, Defence & National Security Workforce Awards (Young Women in Aerospace & Defence Program)

Bobby Jaric

CTO

Bobby brings over 25 years of experience as an infrastructure systems engineer, working across both the private and public sectors with organisations including the Federal Court of Australia, the Board of Studies, and MTU Detroit Diesel.

He has deep expertise in Windows workstations and servers, networking, routers and firewalls, and VMware. Committed to staying ahead in a rapidly evolving field, Bobby is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Cyber Security & Behaviour at Western Sydney University.

Laura McDowall

Events Director

Laura is an accomplished operations and events professional with over a decade of experience delivering high‑impact projects for leading brands including Kathmandu, Optus, and 3 Mobile. More recently, she served as a Systems Specialist at Visy Board, bringing her operational expertise to large‑scale business processes.

Her skill set spans event planning, production management, and live event execution, with a proven track record of delivering seamless, well‑orchestrated experiences from concept to completion.