A fellow of the Design Research Society and Institute of Science and Technology, chartered scientist with the Science Council, member of the Design Council expert network and of the National Coalition of Independent Scholars, Sterry is also the founder of bio-innovation and bio-futures consultancy Bioratorium® (est. 2019), and of Bionic City® (est. 2010) – the first initaitive to explore ‘how nature would design a city’. In 2020, Sterry launched Panarchic Codex® - a name which she originally coined for the building codes she authored for use of her bio-inspired design paradigm - to serve as her post-PhD research and publishing platform.

Sterry has numerous affiliations with leading academic and research institutions in the fields of design, architecture, science, engineering, and innovation. Her past and present roles include visiting lecturer, critic, external examiner, thesis supervisor, peer-review, and assembly member at several distinguished research-led universities including among others, the world’s No.1 ranked architecture school - The Bartlett at University College London, Central Saint Martins and other colleges within University of the Arts London, AA School of Architecture, Ravensbourne, University of Innsbruck, and the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IaaC). A guest professor with Professors without Borders, she is also a member of Neil Spiller and Phil Watson’s EEL (extraordinary.experimental.laboratory).

She has contributed as a scientific committee member, peer-reviewer, editorial board member, finalists juror, evaluator, and guest curator to several leading scientific, sustainability,  built environment, and design journals, conferences, societies, and awards worldwide, including Conservation X Labs Fire Grand Challenge (Washington), International Bionic Engineering conference (Boston), International Bioengineering congress (Izmir), Bio-calibrated symposium (London), and the Silbersalz Science & Media Awards (Berlin/Halle), among others. Sterry is published in over 60 international scientific, industry and consumer journals, magazines, books, reports, and white papers - as diverse as the Global Innovation Science Handbook (2014), for which she authored the chapter ‘Biomimetics: Learning from Life’ to opinion pieces and interviews in mainstream press, such as a recent interview for Business Insider documentary, which has so far attracted over 4.7M YouTube.com views.

Sterry has held numerous executive, non-executive, and advisory roles to world-first startups and iniatives in sustainable innovation, design, and technology across her career. Her most recent responsibilities include serving on the executive advisory board to Full Grown - the world’s first commercial company to grow furniture in an orchard. Prior responsibilities include Head of Technology with one of the UK’s first sustainability-focused media production companies - creating films and media with peers inc. Prof. Rachel Armstrong, as well as roles leading business development, client relations, marketing, media, public relations, sponsorship, and event direction.