Kelsey Doerksen

DPhil Autonomous Intelligence Machines and Systems 2021

Kelsey grew up in the small Canadian suburb of Whitby, Ontario. She moved to Ottawa for her Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Space Systems Design in 2013 with the goal of becoming an astronaut. She later completed her Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Western Ontario, where her space journey took off, leading her to work at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in Los Angeles, l’Observatoire de Paris in France, and eventually settle in San Francisco to join Planet Labs as a satellite operator for the world’s largest Earth Observation satellite constellation. During her time as a satellite operator, she won the Space and Satellite Professional’s Top 20 under 35 Promise Award, recognized as the top of her under 35 class of awardees for her contributions to the space sector. Kelsey joined Keble in 2021 in the Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems Doctoral Training Program with the purpose of developing AI tools for the benefit of society.

Since then, Kelsey has conducted research with world-leading organizations including developing AI models for air pollution modelling with the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and utilizing Earth Observation data and AI with UNICEF and the European Space Agency to map schools and internet connectivity in developing nations. In 2024, Kelsey’s AI-powered landslide forecasting tool was deployed by the Nepal government to assist with disaster preparedness and anticipatory action planning in the region.

Kelsey has spent most of her DPhil orbiting between Keble’s grounds, the Computer Science Department and North Oxford pubs and coffee shops. Aside from her academic work, she has been an advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the STEM community at Oxford, serving as the 2023–24 Oxford Women in Computer Science President and MPLS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Fellow.