Dr Steele is the Director, Science Impact and Policy at CSIRO, Australia's National Science Agency.   In this role, Dr Steele supports the Chief Executive and the Executive Team in relation to policy aspects of CSIRO’s science and the analysis of the health of CSIRO’s science performance.   This includes ethical aspects of CSIRO's research - In 2019, CSIRO adopted a new Science & delivery Policy, together with associated changes in the Code of Conduct, to adopt and implement the 2018 Australian Code for Responsible Research. 

Dr Steele's research career during the period of 1979 - 2000 included postdoctoral studies int metastatic cancer spread, development of novel implantable biomaterials, and the management of projects to develop gene therapy for prostatic cancer. During 2000 onwards Dr Steele has held corporate roles that involved managing corporate governance for science and commercial activities at CSIRO.  CSIRO is Australia's National Science Agency and has research activities across a wide spectrum of science disciplines and across both commercial and 'public good' impacts.