Michela Mitchell

Current research projects include examining museum collections through time and space for assessing the impact of climate change on oceanic environments, Cnidaria invertebrate ecology of the deep sea and promoting research for marine invertebrates; clinical impact of cnidarian envenoming Australia wide, and venom evolution.

Michela is a dual specialist in taxonomy (describing and naming sea anemone fauna) and toxinology (study of toxins produced by living organisms). She is the first on-the-ground Australian sea anemone taxonomist and has been researching them for nearly 20 years. She extended her skills and knowledge of sea anemone biology by completing a doctorate in 2019 at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Melbourne.

Her doctoral research was on Australian sea anemone venom: examining their toxins, evolution, and potential for use in pharmaceutical applications to treat autoimmune disease. Seeing the benefit and the unique use of venom Michela became passionate about reducing the time it takes to develop products such as anti-venom or pharmaceuticals from discovery to a marketable product, which can currently take up to 25 years. 

This passion is coupled with broadening the use of museum collections for research outside of taxonomy with a focus on opening collections to wider research applications and improving conservation of specimens for use far into the future.