Michelle is lead advisor for pollution and water quality within Cefas. She is a honorary professor at University of East Anglia, leading on Marine Technology, monitoring and risk within the Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of Seas (CCSUS at University of East Anglia. She is an adjunct scientist at James Cook University, Australia, building on her work on coral reefs, seagrasses and marine pollution in the Great Barrier Reef. Currently at Cefas, she is the lead scientist for the UK eutrophication monitoring program, leading a large group of people collecting water quality data within UK waters, including in-situ monitoring, autonomous sensor, modelling and remote sensing. Michelle chairs the UK Eutrophication Steering Group and co-chairs a cross UK- European intercessional group.
She has worked on many international programs exploring interactions between the environment and people in coastal, marine and catchment habitats, including rivers, estuaries, coral reefs and temperate environments, with specialist skills in assessing marine pollution risk and vulnerability, coral reef dynamics, policy analysis and advice, water quality, impact assessment and catchment management. She has participated in oil spill response, being part of the UK delegation that work in Mauritius after the MV Wakashio oil spill (2020).