Women in CEA and STEM: Kimberley

We want to celebrate women in STEM and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) by highlighting a key member of our engineering department, Kimberley Smith. She is an electrical engineer and a vital team member involved in assembling Zayndu’s groundbreaking ActivatedAir™ seed priming machines.

Alongside working within STEM, Kimberley plays a vital role within the company, specialising in seed priming within the CEA (controlled environment agriculture) industry. As part of Zayndu’s mission to provide growers with a way to speed up their crop cycles and increase profitability, Kimberley works on the wiring for our ActivatedAir™ machines. A large part of her responsibility relies heavily on her knowledge of electrical engineering to provide a solution for growers within the CEA industry.

Women in STEM

Research shows that girls are not encouraged to think about STEM careers in school, or it is not considered the norm for younger women, though this is not the case for Kimberley. In the early stages of her career, Kimberley underwent an electrical apprenticeship, where she managed to overcome the challenges of navigating her way through a male-dominated industry to be part of the 29.4% of females within the STEM workforce. She showcased her resilience and ability to push through to not only do the thing she loves but shine a light on the lack of representation women get within her industry.

Kimberley says:

“I got into STEM because of Formula One. I love how they are always improving their cars, and this is something that I get to do within my role here. I’m constantly learning on the job and I get to travel to amazing places and work within a tight-knit team.”

Women in CEA

An organisation that celebrates women working within the CEA industry has surfaced on social media, empowering and creating a collaborative community.

Erika Parente, co-founder of Women in CEA, states:

“Women are natural collaborators, and with WiCEA we are hoping to provide all women in CEA and their allies more opportunities to foster collaboration, support their professional development, and offer mentorship to those looking to advance within or enter the industry.”

With Kimberley not only being celebrated as someone within the engineering sector, she also champions the future of agriculture, being part of a technology that can not only boost yield but needs as little energy as it takes to boil a kettle and doesn’t rely on any agrochemicals or pesticides.

As Kimberley continues her journey, we celebrate her achievements and eagerly anticipate the innovations she’ll bring. Kimberley isn’t just an asset; she is shaping the future for our company.

Kimberley Smith | LinkedIn