Speaker Biography

WGCDR Kierin Joyce

Deputy Director Disruptive Experimentation

Air Force

Wing Commander (WGCDR) Keirin Joyce is an Australian Defence Force Academy graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering. WGCDR Joyce has spent the last 19 years in support of the ADF Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) capability including deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

WGCDR Joyce is currently a Doctor of Philosophy Student. He was the 2014 Chief of Army Scholar, is the 2025 Sir Richard Williams Fellow and has twice been awarded the Spitfire Memorial Defence Fellowship in 2009 and 2024. For his efforts on the acquisition of the RQ-7B Shadow 200 Tactical UAS he was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in the 2012 Honours List.

Keirin is married to Rachael, an expert democracy and electoral educator, they have four children, including their son Declan who is serving as an Aircraft Technician in the Royal Australian Navy. He is the President of the ADF Drone Racing Association, and on the Committee of the Royal Aeronautical Society – Canberra Branch.