Dr Emily Anderson has swapped a career in Defence for a very different kind of mission, inspiring Adelaide’s youngest budding scientists and engineers.
The Chartered Professional Engineer and mother of four was named Emerging Business of the Year at the City of Unley Business Awards last week, recognising the work she has done in building Inventor Kids, Adelaide’s first dedicated year-round STEM Lab for children aged 3 to 11.
Based in Goodwood, Inventor Kids was born from Dr Anderson’s own experience as a mum, after watching one of her children lose interest in science and maths at school because the way they were being taught simply didn’t click.
Having worked on Australia’s bionic eye clinical trial and held an Engineering Authority within the Department of Defence’s Aeronautical Life Support unit, where she was responsible for safety-critical certification of equipment protecting Air Force, Army and Navy personnel, Dr Anderson knew just how fascinating STEM could be.
In 2024, she decided to put that experience towards addressing what she saw as a gap in Adelaide, with a lack of a dedicated, year-round and professionally led STEM program for young children.
“I started Inventor Kids because I wanted children to experience STEM the way scientists and engineers actually do it,” shared Dr Anderson. “Curious, hands-on and genuinely exciting. Most children have never met a scientist or engineer. At Inventor Kids, every child has access to one every single week.”
The Goodwood lab offers completely screen-free, hands-on sessions covering everything from physics, chemistry and biology to engineering, robotics, coding, electronics and forensics.
Dr Anderson has developed 105 distinct curriculum themes from first principles using professional engineering design methodology, with every child given their own laboratory book to record observations and results just as a professional scientist would.
The program starts from just three years old, with parents and carers joining the youngest children in their sessions.
“In a world where artificial intelligence can generate answers instantly, the most valuable skill a child can develop is the ability to ask the right question, evaluate what comes back and make a sound judgement,” said Dr Anderson. “That is the STEM mindset I am building from age three. It starts much earlier than most people think.”
Inventor Kids is also designed to be accessible to children from all backgrounds, welcoming students from government, Catholic and independent schools, as well as homeschool and rural families.
Around one in five enrolled children has an identified additional need, with the screen-free approach deliberately designed to remove some of the barriers that technology-dependent programs can create for neurodivergent learners.
Dr Anderson’s work also extends well beyond the Goodwood lab.
Inventor Kids has taken STEM experiences to seriously ill children at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital through the Starlight Foundation, remote First Nations children in Fregon in the APY Lands and young carers through Young Carers SA.
Each program has been tailored to the needs of its particular community, with Dr Anderson drawing on those experiences to continually evolve her approach.
“Every community I have served has made me better for the next one. What I learned adapting sessions for children in hospital, to match the energy of the room, slow down and bring science to them is now what I carry into the Goodwood Lab every week for children who need that same approach.”
The City of Unley award is just the latest recognition for the growing business, with Inventor Kids receiving eight independent recognitions across eight different judging bodies in 2026.
Dr Anderson has also been nominated for the Engineers Australia Professional Engineer of the Year in South Australia, placing her among just 10 engineers recognised statewide.
For a mum who left a highly technical Defence career to get more children excited about science, it’s a pretty impressive new chapter.
Inventor Kids
Where: Shop 1, 71 Goodwood Road, Goodwood
For more information, click here.
