Women in STEM: Meet Divya Jindal

Space has always fascinated humankind. Our curiosity for what lies beyond and how we can use technology in space to improve life on earth have driven the best and brightest to dedicate their careers to studying and working in space. Divya Jindal, Senior Satellite Systems and Orbits Engineer at Optus is one of them.

Divya’s desire to explore the great unknown started when she was a teen watching after-school science programs, took her through Optus’ graduate program and now sees her manoeuvring and maintaining Optus’ satellites 36,000 km up in space, all to keep customers connected.

Curious and curiouser

As a young person, Divya always loved to know how things worked and would ask all the questions she needed to satisfy her curiosity. In her primary school years, trips to the Powerhouse Museum and Questacon brought the concepts she learnt in class to life and were sources of inspiration.

High School was a chance to delve deeper into the subjects she loved and she was fortunate enough to have outstanding mentors who helped her pursue her interest.

“My parents and teachers really went the extra mile to support my passion for science and math,” says Divya.

Divya recalls contemplating the content of a Year 11 physics lesson after class: “I had a few questions after class, so I emailed my teacher. It was a Friday afternoon, so I expected a response the following week. To my surprise, I received an answer over the weekend! That really made an impact on me.”

Divya had fallen in love with the topic and chose to study a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering at university.

“What fascinated me was how humans have managed to excel in developing technologies in such vast, harsh conditions,” says Divya about her motivations for picking her tertiary path.

“Humans have defied the elements to implement technologies such as GPS, weather forecasting and global connectivity from satellites up in space, that improve quality of life on earth. I knew I wanted to be part of it.”

Winging it

Whilst Divya knew she was pursuing her passion she was unsure about job prospects. Upon graduating, Divya applied for a position at Optus as a graduate engineer. When it came time to select her engineering stream preference, she was met with a surprise – Satellite Engineering was an option! Divya didn’t know Optus owned satellites and had next to no idea what a satellite engineer at Optus might do, but she knew that it would take her closer to a career in space.

“I Googled it, thought it sounded super cool and gave it a go!” says Divya.

Sustainability in space

Divya’s courage and willingness to dive in has led her to a career that excites her every day.

 “There are always new satellite designs coming out including ones with a greater data transmission capacity and beams that can be modified on orbit. This offers Optus more flexibility to adapt to our customers’ changing needs,” says Divya.

Whilst launching satellites to improve quality of life on earth is exciting, Divya understands the importance of sustainability in space.

“Space is becoming more and more crowded,” Divya says.

“The risk of colliding with something in space is increasing as more things go up there, so we all need to ensure we are using space in a responsible and sustainable way. It’s a finite resource that we all share and the way it’s used affects everyone for decades and centuries to come.”

The future of STEM

Divya has vision for both the future of Satellite at Optus, and the future of females in STEM.

“The engineering meet-ups and career days I attended as a young person were largely male-dominated, and I remember feeling out of place,” reflects Divya.

“It’s improving over time I think, but I’d like to see more females come into STEM. In a room full of engineers, I’d like for half of them to be females. Engineers shape the future. The more diverse we are, the better equipped we are to create a future that meets the needs of everyone.”