Kerin O'Dea is currently Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne (Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital) and Baker Heart Research Institute.

Between 1971 and 1988 Kerin O'Dea held full-time research positions in Europe, USA and Australia. Between 1988-98 she held positions of Professor of Human Nutrition, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Deakin University. In 1998 she was appointed to a Personal Chair in Nutrition and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. Most recently (2000-2005) she was Director of the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, NT. Her major research interests are: lifestyle change and health in Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders with particular emphasis on obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and renal disease; diet in the pathogenesis and treatment of obesity, diabetes and vascular disease in different population groups and public health nutrition.

She has published extensively in national and international journals, and is active on numerous national committees advising government on nutrition, health and health research.