Senior Research Fellow in Earth Science, University of New England
Marissa J Betts is a DECRA-funded Senior Research Fellow in Earth Science at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia. She specialises in sedimentary geology and invertebrate palaeontology, with a focus on some of the earliest complex skeletons in the fossil record. Her research primarily investigates the early Cambrian Period (approximately 538–509 million years ago). Marissa works both in the ‘nuts and bolts’ of palaeontology—identifying, describing, and interpreting fossils—and their broader applications to geological questions. Her research aids in dating and correlating rock formations globally, interpreting past environments, reconstructing ancient continental plates, and refining the geological timescale. She is currently the Secretary of the International Subcommission on Cambrian Stratigraphy. Marissa has been recognised as an STA Superstar of STEM, NSW Young Tall Poppy, A.H. Voisey Medalist, and Walter Howchin Medalist. She also directed the award-winning film Rola[Stone] about the inseparable connection between geology, landscape and culture on Anaiwan Country in NSW.