معرفی
Patrick O'Keeffe is a Senior Lecturer in Youth Work at RMIT University's School of Global, Urban and Social Studies (GUSS). He focuses on critical approaches to social policy, neoliberalism, and youth marginalization. His work integrates human-centred design into social work education and explores pandemic-era policy impacts. O'Keeffe is an associate member of the Social and Global Studies Centre, mentoring emerging academics and supervising PhD/Masters students. Key areas include marketization of social services, youth resistance strategies, and spatial equity. His research has been published in leading journals and featured in media outlets like The Conversation and ABC Radio.
Research interests center on analyzing processes of financialization and privatization affecting marginalized youth, with recent studies on pandemic-era service restructuring. He co-developed an innovative social work course applying human-centred design principles. Teaching focuses on Social Policy, Employment Activation, and Sociology of Youth. O'Keeffe actively collaborates with community organizations and industry partners to address systemic inequities through design-driven solutions.
Recent publications (2023-2025) critically examine topics including youth spatial agency during lockdowns, automated employment systems, and cashless welfare mechanisms. Supervision projects include pandemic-era social work practice innovations and de-radicalization strategies in education systems. He maintains open availability for media engagement and postgraduate supervision inquiries.
