International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2025 - Staff Profile

This week the EPA is marking International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February by acknowledging some of the EPA's #womeninscience.

This day celebrates the work of women in science and that of their colleagues around the world.

For this year's 10th Anniversary, the UN’s focus is on 'Charting Progress to Shape the Future: The Best is Yet to Come'.

Melinda Morris is the Principal Adviser in the EPA's Site Contamination Branch.

• How long have you been with the EPA, and what initially drew you to the agency?

I joined the Site Contamination Branch as a Principal Adviser in December 2019 after 25 years in the environmental consulting industry.

The job aligned with my skills and code of ethics. I saw it as an opportunity to do public good.

• What field did you study, and how did it shape your career?

I started as an undergraduate geology student at Flinders University, completing an Honours Science Degree.

My first “real” job was as a field scientist for a geotechnical and environmental consulting firm where I learned how to gather reliable soil and groundwater data. I ended up specialising in contaminant hydrogeology and completed a Masters of Science (Groundwater Hydrology) later in my career to cement my work experience.

• What sparked your passion for pursuing a career in science?

I’ve always loved the outdoors and was curious about how landscapes were formed.

• What do you find most rewarding or meaningful about your role in advancing environmental protection or science?

Our team has the resources to assess and manage orphaned site contamination that presents a public health risk by undertaking high quality environmental investigations. Information gathered through the program is publicly available on the EPA’s website and has been used to communicate and manage risks associated with historical contamination.

• What aspects of your work do you find most interesting and engaging?

Designing field programs, gathering environmental data and marrying that with historical information and current land-uses to build a story of how contamination came to be present and what risks it presents.

• From your perspective, what’s the most exciting or enjoyable part of your job?

At any opportunity I get out to see our drilling programs in action and take anyone who wants to come along. In my consulting career, I spent a lot of time designing and installing groundwater monitoring networks to understand contaminant migration.

• Are there any surprising or lesser-known facts about your career or your field of work that you’d like to share?

I’ve drilled through tar tanks, burnt out rail carriages, slag heaps, buried cheese and landfills – you never know what you’re going to see/smell when you get drilling!