She was previously at Logica and Marconi Research Centre, where she developed new programming languages and computational models.

[1] She completed her undergraduate and graduate degree at the University of Cambridge, where she studied theoretical physics and Part III of the Mathematical Tripos.

[2] Her doctoral research involved using analytical mathematics and Fortran to understand relativistic astrophysics plasmas.

[6] Stepney moved to Logica in 1989, where she spent thirteen years working on mathematical modelling of computing systems and specialising in the Z notation.

[4] She has developed computer simulations of complex systems, including pioneering evolutionary algorithms for biological and chemical processes.