Rate My Professor Kay Lembo

Dr Kay Lembo is the Pro Vice Chancellor (Sciences) within Griffith Sciences at Griffith University. She brings over 20 years of experience as a secondary science teacher with Education Queensland, during which she coordinated the Toowoomba Technology Maths, Science Centre of Excellence (TTMSCE) and served as Director of the Southern Queensland Science Centre of Innovation and Professional Practice (SCIPP). Lembo has managed national program delivery and quality assurance for the Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (PICSE), lectured in science education at the University of Southern Queensland and Charles Darwin University, and currently manages the Queensland STEM Education Network (QSEN) hosted by Griffith University. In this role, she is establishing a state-wide consortium involving universities, education departments, scientific organizations, and community stakeholders to advance STEM education. Her contributions include initiatives under Queensland’s Spotlight on Science and Science Education Strategy, such as coordinating professional development programs and promoting bioscience professions through PICSE awards.

Lembo’s research specializations center on science education, teacher professional development, and science teaching enhancement initiatives. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Southern Queensland, with her thesis titled Effective secondary science teacher professional development and growth: a Queensland case study. Key publications include the chapters Bringing real-world science into the classroom and Real-world science in the classroom (both 2018), as well as contributions to Teaching Secondary Science edited by Geoff Woolcott (2018). Additional works feature What teachers want from professional development in Agricultural Science (2014) and Science teaching - the common thread. In recognition of her early career impact, she received the Peter Doherty Teacher Postgraduate Scholarship in 2005 while teaching at Toowoomba State High School. Lembo has influenced the field through executive roles such as Vice President of the Science Teachers Association of Queensland, presentations at international conferences like the National Science Teachers Association, and leadership in National Science Week grants, workshops, and STEM career resources like Play Your Cards Right posters.