Dr Patty O'Brien is the first full-time faculty member for the Center of Australian and New Zealand Studies where she has been teaching since 2001. She teaches classes in Australian, New Zealand and Pacific History in conjunction with the Department of History and has advised the numerous theses produced for the Certificate in Australian and New Zealand Studies since 2001. She was acting director of the Center for Australian and New Zealand Studies in Fall 2004.

Before coming to Georgetown Dr O'Brien taught at the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney in her native Australia.

Her current research interests include Australian colonialism in Papua, the French imperial takeover of Tahiti and her most recent project examines the nexus between indigenous people,environment, economics, politics and history in Melanesia and Indonesia.

Academic Honors and Fellowships

2008 Spring SFS Faculty Research Grant
2007 Fall SFS Faculty Research Grant
2003 Summer Research Grant, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown
2000 Tempe Mann Fellowship, Australian Federation of University Women
1993-1996 Australian Postgraduate Award
1994 Frazer Travelling Scholarship
1993 Australasian Pioneer's Club Scholarship
Frazer Travelling Scholarship, University of Sydney
Farrington-Thorpe Scholarship, University of Sydney
1992 University Medal in History, University of Sydney
Charles Brunsdon Fletcher Prize for Pacific History, Department of History, University of Sydney