Dr Kiri Mealings completed a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics), Bachelor of Speech and Hearing Sciences (First Class Honours), and Doctor of Philosophy (Linguistics) at Macquarie University, Sydney. Her PhD was entitled “An investigation into how the acoustics of open plan and enclosed classrooms affect speech perception for Kindergarten children”. Kiri also has an Associate Diploma in Music Australia (Flute). Kiri worked as a Research Scientist for 5 years at the National Acoustic Laboratories after completing her PhD. In 2021 Kiri returned to Macquarie University as an academic. Kiri leads the Listen to Learn for Life (L3) research program which aims to understand how classroom environments affect children's listening, learning, and wellbeing, and how they can be improved. Her research interests are in acoustics, hearing, listening, learning, and wellbeing in the classroom; Indigenous children's hearing health; and newborn hearing screening.