Associate Professor, Dr Catherine Ball is a scientific futurist, speaker, advisor, author, founder, executive producer, executive director and company director working across global projects where emerging technologies meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs. Catherine also likes to create businesses and champion movements, collaborate with peers, and advise game-changers.

Having been called a ‘social architect’, Catherine likes to connect people from different backgrounds across common themes. A champion of diversity and inclusion, Catherine believes we need points of difference to truly innovate and curate the changes we want to see in the world. Working to protect the natural environment and empowering all members of society through mutual education are core aspects of the projects Catherine chooses to spend her time and energy on.

Catherine continues to support Australia as being the world leader in the advancement of ethically driven technological applications.

Catherine is the only Australian on the International Advisory Board of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, which follows her work as a judge on the Ocean Discovery XPrize.

Catherine’s business ventures include the internationally renowned World of Drones and Robotics Congress, established in Brisbane in 2017, and the free community resources of World of Drones Education, established in 2018.

She is also the curator and Director of the Futures Conference.

Catherine holds a BSc Honours (Environmental Protection) and a PhD (Spatial Ecology, Descriptive and Predictive Statistics) from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the United Kingdom. Catherine lives in Sydney with her husband and two sons.