Professor Emily Hilder is First Assistant Secretary Digital Capability in Defence Digital Group (DDG). In this role she is responsible for DDG work take-on and executing all DDG Capability Manager functions across the One Defence Capability System Life-Cycle for the Enterprise ICT program, and in support of external Capability Managers where there are ICT considerations.

Emily joined Defence as Chief Maritime in Defence Science and Technology Group in November 2020 and held the role of Chief Platforms from July 2022 to April 2023. Following that she was the inaugural Head of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator, a role she held until February 2025.

Prior to joining Defence Emily was Director of the Future Industries Institute (FII) and Deputy Director of the ARC Research Hub for integrated devices for end-user analysis at low levels (IDEAL) at University of South Australia.

She is a graduate of the University of Tasmania where she completed her PhD in analytical chemistry in 2000. Following postdoctoral positions at Johannes Kepler University (Austria) and the E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA) she returned to Australia and University of Tasmania in 2004 where she held two ARC Fellowships (APD, Future Fellowship) as well as positions as Assistant Dean of Graduate Research and Head of Chemistry. She was inaugural Director of the ARC Training Centre for Portable Analytical Separation Technologies (ASTech) before relocating to the University of South Australia in 2016.

Emily is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) and has been recognised by a number of awards including the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia (2019), RACI Doreen Clarke Analytical Medal (2016), UTAS Foundation Graduate Award (2010) and has been included in the Analytical Scientist Power Lists from 2013-2017, 2019-2021 and 2023 including the ‘Top 40 under 40’ and as one of the top 10 leaders in analytical science. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Australian Maritime College (University of Tasmania).