Her research focusses on the interaction between chemical cycles and biological activity, the study of biogeochemistry. She is interested in how the biogeochemical changes in the Southern Ocean influence climate, and are also affected by climate, in the modern ocean. She also studies past biogeochemical changes in the ocean, the study of paleoceanography. She has written 137 research works, and a significant focus of her work has been on understanding the role of iron as a micronutrient in the oceans.[5] Another focus of her work is on the exchange of carbon dioxide between the oceans and the atmosphere and the role of carbon sequestration in the oceans on controlling natural climate changes over the glacial-interglacial cycles.[6] She uses a range of geochemical proxies analysed on ocean waters and sediment cores including long-lived, naturally occurring radioisotopes like thorium isotopes to reconstruct particle flux, and redox-sensitive metals such as manganese and uranium to reconstruct ocean oxygen levels. She is also involved in research to improve the understanding of trace metal proxies through participation in the international Geotraces program. She has participated in more than 20 voyages on a range of different research vessels, including the Australian blue water vessel RV Investigator.[7]