Staff In the Spotlight 

Introducing.....Tiffany Keele, Laboratory Technician, Education Support

Why did you decide on a career in education?

I decided to become a laboratory technician because I am passionate about science, and I love seeing others get excited about the same thing I am!

How long have you been in the sciece industry?

I have worked in science for my entire career. I began as a research assistant at the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and worked more recently as a scientist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.

What was your last place of employment - school/university or another organisation?

I have been working as a part-time laboratory technician at Fairhills High School since 2023, in addition to my current part-time role at Mullauna Secondary College.  

What do you love most about education?

I love seeing and hearing the excitement of students when they perform an experiment that lights a spark of curiosity, and I love to support teaching staff to deliver awesome science practical classes. 

What has been one of your best science moments?

One of my best moments in science was being part of the Molecular Biology team that used mitochondrial DNA sequencing to identify bone fragments as belonging to Daniel Morcombe during the trial of Brett Peter Cowan for the murder of Daniel Morcombe in 2014. 

What would be 3 things that you would like the students to know about you

1. I have three primary-school-aged children: Oliver, William & Georgiana.
2. I love to go for weekend runs through Jells Park and along Dandenong Creek. 
3. My favourite book is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Where is your favourite holiday destination?

The Farm at Bamawm, Victoria. My husband’s family runs it as a dairy farm. My kids love playing with their cousins and riding in the tractor to put out hay for the cows.

What TV show/series did you last binge watch?

Shetland, Season 8.

If you could wear Harry’s invisibility cloak for one day, where would you go and what would you do?   That’s Harry Potter’s cloak not Harry Ruff’s cloak 😊

I would be like Santa Claus and deliver little presents to everyone to make them smile.

What is the one piece of ‘advice’ or the one thing that you always say to your students?

I think that the best piece of advice is to simply be kind to one other.

Thank you Tiffany, and welcome to Mullauna College.