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Collaborative Indigenous Research Initiative
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  1. UC Website
  2. Research
  3. Collaborative research networks
  4. Collaborative Indigenous Research Initiative
  5. About UC CIRI
  6. Executive Committee
  7. Peter O'Brien

Peter O'Brien

Dr Peter O'Brien, Chair of UC CIRI Executive CommitteeDr Peter O'Brien is a professional director, business operator, consultant and research leader. His current roles include: Director and Professorial Fellow, Murray-Darling Basin Futures Collaborative Research Network; a principal of Tempo Mentors; principal of Peter O'Brien Consulting; and non-Executive Director, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC):

  • Murray-Darling Basin Futures is a collaboration of 4 universities and 6 government agencies, investing $13m over 3 years to grow research capacity and apply it to the reform challenges in the Basin
  • Tempo Mentors provides mentoring services and learning sets to meet the needs of senior executives
  • Peter O'Brien Consulting provides strategy, facilitation and coaching services to private and public sector agencies
  • FRDC is a statutory R&D Corporation which invests government and industry funds in research, development and marketing for productive and sustainable wild-catch, aquaculture, recreational and indigenous fishing sectors

From 2005–2011, Dr Peter O'Brien was Managing Director of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, a statutory authority of the Australian Government. He has served on many government and non-government boards and task-forces, including as a Director of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority. He is currently a non-Executive Director of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and serves on the Board's Remuneration and Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committees. He has served as a Director of Cooperative Research Centre Boards, the Australian Research Council Expert Advisory Committee on Engineering and Environmental Sciences and the Prime Minister's Natural Resource Management Taskforce.

Previously, Dr O'Brien was Executive Director of the Bureau of Rural Sciences. As Executive Director, Dr O'Brien led an organisation of 160 scientific and administrative staff providing scientific advice to government across fisheries, forestry and agriculture.

Dr O'Brien is a scientist by training, with a first class Honours degree and PhD from the University of Queensland. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Management and holds qualifications in executive coaching. He has more than 60 publications across science and management, including in exotic disease contingency planning, wildlife management, biological control, performance management and scenario planning.  He is co-founder and past-President of the Australasian Wildlife Management Society.


Contact Peter on 0418 241 616 or email him at peter.obrien@canberra.edu.au