14 Million Connections. 14 Million Stories. Backing Australian Ambition.
Behind every connection is a story, and Jessie Christiansen's is one of curiosity, grit and pursuing questions that have the power to change how we see the universe.
Jessie grew up in a small town outside Ipswich in Queensland with a population of 350. Under some of Australia's darkest skies, a high school physics teacher introduced her to astronomy, and they started the school's first astronomy club.
It was there that she fell in love with the sky. That curiosity led her to study physics, mathematics and astronomy before taking her from Australia to Harvard University and, ultimately, NASA.
Today, Jessie is Chief Scientist at NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech and one of Australia's leading astrophysicists. As a key member of NASA's Kepler mission, she has helped discover thousands of planets beyond our solar system and contributed to some of NASA's most ambitious missions, including the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
What stands out most about Jessie's story is her grit. Three PhD research projects and her postdoctoral research at Harvard did not find any planets around other stars. As Jessie says, "My research was not turning up what I wanted, but I kept at it."
She later joined the Kepler mission, the most successful planet-hunting mission in history and is recognised as the world's most successful woman planet hunter.
As Jessie says, "Go for it. Don't let anyone stop you. Don't let the world stop you. Just go for it."
Story 7 of 14. Over 14 days, we're celebrating 14 extraordinary Australians whose journeys showcase Australian ambition and the power of our global connections.
As we approach the end of the financial year, we're also raising funds for the Global Australians Foundation, a DGR-endorsed charity helping disadvantaged Australians pursue their ambitions.
Because when Australians back Australians, extraordinary things happen.
Go further together.