Therese Miller

Therese’s interest in marine biological research began during her undergraduate studies. She is working on a postgraduate degree at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson, where she is using eDNA to detect the migration routes and spawning sites of New Zealand longfin (Anguilla dieffenbachii) and shortfin (A. australis schmidtii) eels. Therese’s PhD is funded by a Marsden grant obtained by Amandine Sabadel (Auckland University of Technology) and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. 

What inspired you to pursue postgraduate study, and why this particular field?

We live in an age of global extinction, and characterising biodiversity is more critical than ever. Employment opportunities in marine biology can be difficult to come by, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have academic opportunities that allowed me to conduct fieldwork in the ocean. This has allowed me to engage in what I truly love while working towards a career in science.

Please tell us about your academic background and what led you here.

I developed my passion for marine biological research during my undergraduate studies when I began volunteering in a natural history museum and assisted with research in marine invertebrate biodiversity. I thoroughly enjoyed laboratory and museum work and looked for opportunities to work in the field. From there, I earned a master’s degree in biology, during which time I
conducted fieldwork and lab work on coral biology. This further drove me to
find new experiences in studying marine science, so when this opportunity to do a PhD in marine environmental DNA (eDNA) came up, I knew I had to accept it.

What is your research/ thesis topic?

My research entails using eDNA to detect the migration routes and spawning sites of New Zealand longfin (Anguilla dieffenbachii) and shortfin (A. australis schmidtii) eels. This involves developing ways to exclusively target the DNA of each of these species, collecting water samples from a research cruise throughout the Western South Pacific Ocean, and using my developed methods to detect the DNA of each species of New Zealand eel from the seawater samples I collect. Ultimately, this aims to give insight into how managers can make informed decisions about where to target conservation efforts to protect these animals.

Can you share any accomplishments or milestones you’ve achieved?

I collected all of my seawater samples from the research cruise aboard the R.V. Tangaroa and am in the midst of laboratory work and data analyses to see what we find. I also won Best Poster from the Fisheries Research Development Corporation at the 2024 Australian Marine Science – New Zealand Marine Science joint conference.

What’s been the most rewarding or challenging part of your programme?

Taking the lead on conducting my project has been rewarding and challenging. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to live at sea for five weeks and focus on fieldwork. Conducting all of the laboratory and data analyses truly makes it feel like this project is my own. I’ve had to be much more independent than I have been accustomed to in the past. This is also a larger workload with tighter timelines than my previous degrees. But it has taught me to rely on myself in many ways, which is very valuable.

Finally, tell us something about yourself we can’t learn by Googling you.

I can do a backbend from a standing position.