Danuta Kucharska graduated from the University of Sydney in the 1980s with double Honours in Computer Science and Aeronautical Engineering, then gained an MBA in Technology Management in 2003. She started her professional career in a civil engineering computer bureau followed by a wide range of professional and regulatory roles in civil aviation between 1987 and 2010. She is now pursuing a PhD at the University of Melbourne, applying remote sensing technology to hydrological questions.