Prof. McBride is an astronomer at the Office of Astronomy for Development. She has a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Southampton, and her research centres around populations of evolved, massive stars in binaries. She is head of research at the South African Astronomical Observatory and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Cape Town. Prof. McBride works towards bridging the gap between the community of professional astronomers and the developing world with a view to helping astronomers apply their skills to problems related to socioeconomic development.