Dr Keely Bumsted O’Brien heads the Institute’s Scientific Education Office, providing academic, professional development and pastoral support to the Institute’s students. 

Keely completed a PhD in Developmental Neurobiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her PhD studies were followed by postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University, USA and Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Germany. 

After many years of running her own research group, Keely took on a newly created academic teaching-focused position at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. 

In current her role, Keely facilitates communication between the Institute and the University of Melbourne regarding PhD and Honours students and academic programs. This includes:

• managing the academic evaluation of student programs at the Institute
• convening and teaching in the Honours program
• providing professional development workshops for PhD and Honours students 
• representing the Institute and students on university committees
• providing arbitration and pastoral care 

Recently, Keely was awarded a Senior Fellowship in the Higher Education Academy. She is also an Honorary Senior Fellow in the Department of Medical Biology at the University of Melbourne. 

Her current research interests are focused on developing programs - mentoring, internships, and skills workshops - that support Biomedical Science postgraduate student career development.