Dr Rickard holds a PhD in livestock reproduction and has a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience from The University of Sydney.  Since the completion of her PhD in 2015, she has worked on a wide variety of projects related to artificial reproductive technologies in livestock.  She is currently working closely with the Australian sheep industry, leading a project investigating factors affecting the success of intrauterine laparoscopic artificial insemination in sheep.  She is also using a combined proteomic and transcriptomic approach to identify molecular traits responsible for improved sperm transport and survival within the ewe's cervix.  In addition, she has been fortunate to apply her skills developed in domestic animal reproduction to wildlife, working with an international team to improve the cryosurvival of rhinoceros semen for captive breeding programs.  She has recently started a new position at The University of Sydney, as Senior Lecturer in Livestock Production, is the chair of MerinoLink, a not-for-profit organisation aimed at linking the sheep industry with research outcomes, and is a standing council member of the Society of Reproductive Biology (SRB) and International congress of Animal Reproduction (ICAR).