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 leader in STEM education and outreach. Her large-scale, curriculum-aligned challenges and programs have earned multiple national honours, including Campaign of the Year 2025 and recognition at the TechDiversity and Defence & National Security Workforce Awards.

With 15 years’ experience across science, Defence and advanced manufacturing, Jo brings together deep technical expertise and creative program design to inspire the next generation of innovators and strengthen Australia’s STEM workforce.

Awards & Recognition

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

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.