Rate My Professor Keely O'Brien

Keely O'Brien, Ph.D., M.S., is an Assistant Professor of Agriculture at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in the School of Agriculture. As a prominent faculty member in the Fermentation Science program, she holds the position of Program Advisor and Coordinator for the Fermentation Science Concentration within the Professional Science Master's program and is actively involved with the MTSU Fermentation Science Analytical Laboratory. Before joining academia, O'Brien accumulated three years of hands-on experience in the fermented dairy industry and collaborated extensively with agricultural sectors through the LSU Ag Center Extension Service. She also brings more than ten years of community-based teaching, having organized and hosted over 50 workshops focused on fermentation and related agricultural topics.

O'Brien's research specializes in dairy fermentation processes and their beneficial effects on human health, incorporating product development, sensory analysis, animal model studies, and clinical investigations. Her laboratory further advances sustainability by developing biomaterials from processed dairy food waste. She has produced eight peer-reviewed journal articles, including co-authorship on 'Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Recombinant Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 Expressing Antioxidant Enzymes' (2021) and 'A comprehensive review of the production, beneficial properties, and applications of kefiran' (2023). O'Brien holds one patent, has secured multiple research grants, and currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator on the $749,999 project 'Soil, Animal, Food, and Economic (SAFE) Research, Education, and Outreach.' Her service includes membership on the General Education Committee (2021-2024) and co-chairing for the Tennessee Academy of Science. She has presented at MTSU Board of Trustees meetings, agricultural field days, and appeared in the 'Out of the Blue' TV segment on MTSU's Fermentation Science program, significantly impacting education and innovation in the field.