The astronomic potential of transferable skills and the place of space on earth with Asha Stabback

Release Date: 17 August, 2025
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There's a place for everyone in space. It's an extension of our planetary ecosystem and just as multidisciplinary as the world around us. The key is to identify your passions and transferable skills so you can shape your work and the value you can bring to your new environment.

Asha Stabback is Translation and Impact Manager at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) at the University of Western Australia in Perth. Join us as we speak about cultivating transferable skills, embracing your network, and how working with the skies above supports the land below..

About Asha Stabback

Asha Stabback is the Translation and Impact Manager at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) at the University of Western Australia in Perth. This role enables the knowledge and expertise to flow between industry and academia. Before entering the university sector, Asha spent 15 years working in the mining industry leading organisational development programs and also had a stint in a start-up called Bubdesk offering a work space with a creche for working parents. Throughout her career, she came to appreciate the gender imbalance and the broader systemic barriers to enabling equity and she brings this background and personal experience to the role of Chair of the DEI Committee for the UWA node of ICRAR.

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  • [00:01:19] Cultivating a career around community and engagement.
  • [00:03:34] The holy trinity: cultivate your interests, transferable skills, and network to shape your career
  • [00:04:29] Recentring when life happens
  • [00:05:09] Learning to embrace (and harness) the power of your networks
  • [00:06:41] BubDesk and building support and community for working parents
  • [00:07:56] Tapping into potential by knowing your skills and identifying the skills of others
  • [00:08:55] You are more than what you do.
  • [00:12:09] The beginnings of ICRAR and hiring with couples in mind
  • [00:15:45] Inclusive environments support everyone and their circumstances
  • [00:19:35] The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research
  • [00:20:39] The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO)
  • [00:22:37] The broader economic and community impact of investment in space and astronomy
  • [00:26:08] Translation and impact and finding happy places
  • [00:30:56] Space Situational Awareness and looking after the skies above
  • [00:34:14] There's a place for everyone in Space
  • [00:35:40] Thinking about responsible deployment of technology
  • [00:38:28] What the space sector is and finding your space in space
  • [00:42:10] What advice would you give someone who would like to do what you do, and what should they ignore?
How to cite: Ong, M. (Host), & Stabback, A. (Guest). (2025, August 17). The astronomic potential of transferable skills and the place of space on earth with Asha Stabback [Audio podcast episode]. In STEAM Powered. Michele Ong. https://www.steampoweredshow.com/shows/asha-stabback.html

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