Dr Marnie O’Bryan is Honorary Research Fellow at The Australian National University (ANU) Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research.

Marnie’s background is in education. Before undertaking her doctoral studies, she worked for more than a decade with First Australian young people in a range of education and pastoral care settings. From 2007, she worked with and later coordinated, the Victorian Indigenous Education Network [VIEN] of schools in the Independent and Catholic sectors. That organisation was established by teachers working in member schools to raise awareness and drive change in schools built around strongly euro-centric ideals. As coordinator, her work included organising a program of teacher professional development events as well as social and leadership activities for First Australian students living and studying in member schools.

Marnie’s PhD study focused on the lived experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian boarding schools. Her more recent work looks at the impact of boarding school policy on the secondary education outcomes of young people in remote Australia.

Marnie commenced her professional career working as a commercial lawyer in Melbourne and then in the legal publishing fraternity in London. She currently serves as the Chair of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.