Brendan Beirne completed his Ph.D. at New York University, where he won the Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching Award. Prior to moving to New York for graduate school, Brendan attended UC Berkeley, completing a B.A. in English, rowing men’s lightweight crew and studying abroad at the University of Oxford during his senior year. In addition to his more recent experience teaching English at the college level, Brendan held postdoctoral fellowships at Washington University in St. Louis and New York University.

Bringing extensive experience as a college counselor, academic and test prep tutor, and college professor to his role at Scholar Co., Brendan takes a holistic approach to supporting students in developing their academic profiles, extracurricular passions, and future plans. He excels at keeping students grounded throughout the often-stressful college application process, helping them clarify and understand how to achieve their goals, and put their best foot forward in their applications. While Brendan’s formal academic background is rooted in the humanities, his experiences working as a journalist covering the pharmaceutical industry and as a founding member of a technology startup have given him an appreciation for the challenges and opportunities specific to students pursuing STEM fields.

Brendan’s hobbies include cooking, guitar, yoga and the study of Spanish, which has led him to travel extensively in Latin America. Some of his favorite authors include Mariana Enriquez, George Saunders, Don DeLillo and Ralph Ellison.