Kathryn Laurentis

Kathryn Laurentis is a graduate researcher in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Melbourne, uncovering the untold stories of women who shaped Australian engineering, from the inventors and tinkerers who never got the title, to the pioneers who fought for one — she’s piecing together a more inclusive history of the profession.

Kathryn’s career began in hard hats and hydrocarbons — she’s a chemical engineer and applied mathematician with 25 years of experience across oil rigs, boardrooms, and government policy teams. Now a Fellow of Engineers Australia and Superstar of STEM, she brings a practitioner’s eye and a passion for diversity to her research.

Outside of academia, Kathryn runs international marathons, creates scholarship opportunities for schoolgirls, and drives the Instagram page EngineeringHerStory to spotlight female engineering trailblazers. Equal parts engineer, diplomat, advocate and academic, she’s here to rewire how we think about who built the world around us.