Branwen has a PhD in neuroscience, which was conducted at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, and an MSc in molecular biology (plant pathogens) from Massey University, NZ. She has extensive strategic and project management experience as well as broad scientific knowledge as a result of working in non-academic roles in London and Sydney. Branwen consulted to the pharmaceutical industry and Nature Publishing Group before returning to academia joining AusGEM, a research partnership between the University of Technology Sydney and the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
This led to the co-founding of the OUTBREAK project. OUTBREAK is a world first, high-tech decision support system that uses AI to track, trace and tackle drug-resistant infections in real-time. The UTS-led transdisciplinary team includes more than a dozen academic, industry and government partner organisations. Initial funding was through the Medical Research Futures Fund Frontiers program (stage 1).