Jeff Keelan is Professor of Obstetrics and Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at The University of Western Australia (UWA), located at the QEII Medical Centre, Perth. He obtained a BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology from Liverpool John Moores University in 1979, an MSc in Biochemistry from the University of Auckland in 1986, and a PhD in Obstetrics from the University of Auckland in 1994. Keelan's early career included roles as Hospital Scientific Officer at National Women’s Hospital, Auckland (1985-1994), Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Auckland's Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology (1994-2001), Senior Lecturer there (2001-2007), and Head of the Pregnancy Research Group at the Liggins Institute (2006-2007). Since relocating to Perth in 2007, he has headed the Women and Infants Health Research Laboratories at King Edward Memorial Hospital (2007-2020), served as Research Professor in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Director of Research Governance at Women and Newborn Health Service (2009-2024), and holds an Adjunct Professor position at Curtin University. He has supervised over 50 postgraduate students, coordinates the Honours in Medical Research program, and lectures in molecular pharmacology, reproductive biology, placental pharmacology, and pharmacology in pregnancy.

Keelan's research specializes in immunology, endocrinology, and pharmacology of pregnancy, with emphasis on preterm birth prevention, pharmacological treatment of intra-amniotic infection and inflammation, nanoparticle-based drug delivery, the intrauterine microbiome and endocrine environment, and melatonin use in late pregnancy to reduce labour induction rates. Expertise includes placental inflammation, lipid-derived mediators, placental growth and drug transporters, pregnancy obesity and inflammation, antibiotic pharmacokinetics, and microbiome in pregnancy and early life. He has authored over 220 peer-reviewed articles, accumulating more than 13,000 citations with an h-index of 68, and secured over $20 million in competitive research grants. Key publications include 'Colostrum as a Protective Factor Against Peanut Allergy: Evidence From a Birth Cohort' (2026, Allergy), 'Optimising Vaginal Microbiome Profiling for Clinical Translation' (2026, Microorganisms), 'Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of late gestation oral melatonin supplementation in reducing induction of labour rates' (2025, BMJ Open), and 'Effects of pregnancy and lactation prebiotics supplementation on infant allergic disease' (2025, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology). Keelan leads NHMRC-funded clinical trials on preterm birth prevention using microbial screening, antibiotics, and probiotics, and contributes to initiatives like the WA Preterm Birth Prevention Initiative and Microbiome Consortium of Western Australia. He serves on the Marshall Centre Advisory Board and QEII Trust Board.

Professional Email: jeff.keelan@uwa.edu.au