Joni Sytsma

Dr Joni Sytsma is an aerospace engineer with over 16 years’ experience in the research, development and commercialisation of extremely complex aerospace systems where combined interactions of hardware, software and physics are the defining value-add.

Dr Sytsma began her career with a decade of developing cutting edge aerospace systems at the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) before moving to Australia to join the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experiment (HIFiRE) program with Defence Science and Technology (DST) group. Since then she has worked at Gilmour Space Technologies and Department 13.

Today, Dr Sytsma is the Chief Technology Officer of the Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics (iLAuNCH) program, a collaboration between Universities and Industry to develop Australia’s sovereign space capability. Dr Sytsma leads the program’s research portfolio in space, satellites, rockets, hypersonics and advanced manufacturing and materials.