Professor Elizabeth McKinley is both the Executive Director of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) and Professor of Indigenous Education at the University of Melbourne. She is known for her work exploring the interaction between science, education and Indigenous culture. Before moving to Melbourne in 2014 she was Professor of Māori Education and Director of the Starpath Project for Tertiary Participation and Success at the University of Auckland. She is also well known for her capacity building and mentoring work with doctoral students and early career researchers. 

She has a strong research and publication record in the field of sociology of education, Indigenous science education, Indigenous curriculum, and the capability of mainstream education systems to meet the complex challenges of transforming educational outcomes for Indigenous and other students from underserved communities. 

Professor McKinley has served on national panels and committees that have influenced public policy, including the Ministerial Cross Sector Forum on Raising Achievement. She has also served on New Zealand’s Endeavour Fund Impact Panel, and Science Challenges Review. She received a New Zealand Honour as an Officer to the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015.