Hi, I’m Karen Joyce
I’m a scientist, educator, academic, and co-founder — passionate about proving that science isn’t just lab coats and test tubes. It’s everywhere. And there’s a version of it for everyone.
For over 25 years, I’ve built a diverse career at the intersection of geospatial science and real-world impact. From mapping coral reefs on the Great Barrier Reef for my PhD, to deploying mapping solutions as a Geomatic Engineering Officer in the Australian Army, I’ve applied Earth observation to some of the planet’s most pressing challenges.
That path took me to New Zealand, where I worked with the Department of Conservation to map recreation opportunities across the Conservation Estate, and later with GNS Science, where I used remote sensing to support disaster response for landslides, floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
Today, I’m an Associate Professor of Remote Sensing at James Cook University in Cairns, still closely connected to the Great Barrier Reef and the ecosystems of northern Australia.
But my work doesn’t stop at the university gates.
I’m the Co-founder and Education Director of She Maps, where we’ve inspired thousands of students and teachers around the world to see themselves in STEM — using drones and geospatial tech as our gateway to inclusion and impact.
I’m also the Co-founder and Product Lead of GeoNadir, a global platform for collaborating with drone and Earth observation data. GeoNadir helps scientists, conservationists, and land managers store, manage, and analyze EO data to protect Earth’s most vulnerable ecosystems. Rooted in FAIR data principles — findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable — we believe that open science is good science.
Whether it’s from space, the air, or the ground, I’m driven to help people see our planet more clearly — and act to protect it.
I’m a scientist, educator, academic, and co-founder — passionate about proving that science isn’t just lab coats and test tubes. It’s everywhere. And there’s a version of it for everyone.
For over 25 years, I’ve built a diverse career at the intersection of geospatial science and real-world impact. From mapping coral reefs on the Great Barrier Reef for my PhD, to deploying mapping solutions as a Geomatic Engineering Officer in the Australian Army, I’ve applied Earth observation to some of the planet’s most pressing challenges.
That path took me to New Zealand, where I worked with the Department of Conservation to map recreation opportunities across the Conservation Estate, and later with GNS Science, where I used remote sensing to support disaster response for landslides, floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
Today, I’m an Associate Professor of Remote Sensing at James Cook University in Cairns, still closely connected to the Great Barrier Reef and the ecosystems of northern Australia.
But my work doesn’t stop at the university gates.
I’m the Co-founder and Education Director of She Maps, where we’ve inspired thousands of students and teachers around the world to see themselves in STEM — using drones and geospatial tech as our gateway to inclusion and impact.
I’m also the Co-founder and Product Lead of GeoNadir, a global platform for collaborating with drone and Earth observation data. GeoNadir helps scientists, conservationists, and land managers store, manage, and analyze EO data to protect Earth’s most vulnerable ecosystems. Rooted in FAIR data principles — findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable — we believe that open science is good science.
Whether it’s from space, the air, or the ground, I’m driven to help people see our planet more clearly — and act to protect it.
