Cool Jobs: Marine Parasitology

Participant: Dr Marissa McNamara

Studying marine parasites led Dr Marissa McNamara to a career as a Collection Manager at Queensland Museum, looking after the museum’s thousands of crustacean specimens and documenting new species of crustaceans in Queensland. It all started for Marissa at age 13 when she was certified as a scuba diver. Captivated by the beauty of coral reefs, Marissa studied a degree in marine biology, specialising in marine parasitology (that’s right, fish parasites!). This opened up a whole new universe of bizarre and wonderful creatures living hidden lives in – and on – fish. Identifying and describing new species gives Marissa a unique window into the evolution of life on earth. Working as a custodian of the state’s natural heritage? That’s a cool job!