Congratulations Jessie Christiansen on being the winner of the 2025 Global Australian Award, recognised for her pioneering contrib...

Congratulations Jessie Christiansen on being the winner of the 2025 Global Australian Award, recognised for her pioneering contributions to the discovery and cataloguing of planets beyond our solar system. Jessie is an Australian astrophysicist and the Chief Scientist at the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech. A key member of NASA’s Kepler Science Office, Jessie played a central role in identifying thousands of new exoplanets, helping to fundamentally reshape humanity’s understanding of the universe and our place within it. Her expertise has also contributed to the development of several major NASA missions, including TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and the Habitable Worlds Observatory, positioning her at the forefront of the next generation of space exploration. Beyond her scientific leadership, Jessie is a passionate advocate for public engagement in science. Through citizen-science platforms such as Zooniverse, she has enabled people around the world to participate directly in the search for new worlds, democratising discovery and inspiring future generations of scientists. Her outstanding achievements have been recognised with the 2018 NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal, among other honours, and she is widely regarded as one of the leading voices in exoplanet science today. Jessie Christiansen exemplifies Australian excellence on the global scientific stage. Through groundbreaking research, mission-shaping leadership and a deep commitment to public engagement, she has expanded humanity’s knowledge of the cosmos while opening the doors of discovery to the world. Her work reflects the power of Australian ingenuity carried globally, making her a deeply deserving recipient of this recognition. Congratulations Jessie!