Melanie O'Brien

Dr. Melanie O'Brien is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of School (Research) at the UWA Law School. She specializes in international criminal law, genocide studies, and human rights law. She holds leadership roles including President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) and has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Minnesota and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Loughborough. Her research focuses on genocide prevention, gender-based violence in mass atrocities, and legal accountability mechanisms. She has published extensively, including seminal works like From Discrimination to Death: Genocide Process Through a Human Rights Lens and Criminalising Peacekeepers.

Dr. O’Brien holds a PhD from the University of Nottingham, LLB from the University of Newcastle, and advanced qualifications in human rights law and legal practice. She has advised UN bodies, including the Special Rapporteur on Iran, and appeared as amicus curiae before the ICC. Her honors include the Aurora Mardiganian Medal for her work on the Armenian Genocide.

Her teaching spans International Criminal Law, Public International Law, and research supervision. She leads the Law School Research Committee and has secured grants from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Australian Academy of the Humanities, and others. Her global engagement includes fieldwork across six continents and contributions to initiatives like the Ukraine Peace Settlement Project.