Melanie Mackenzie

Assistant Collection Manager (Invertebrate Collection)

Melanie works with a dedicated team to manage and maintain the Invertebrate Collection. This collection is primarily marine though also includes some freshwater invertebrates (e.g. crayfish) and terrestrial invertebrates (e.g. land snails). The collection is a specimen 'library' of everything from tiny tanaids to giant squids; and the management team work to keep the collection organized, viable and accessible for ongoing morphological, genetic, and environmental research.

Melanie started working at the museum as a volunteer ‘docent’ in 1994, educating public visitors in various marine exhibitions while studying Zoology at Melbourne University. From there Melanie moved down to the ‘dungeons’ of the Russel Street building as a volunteer research assistant to Dr. C.C. Lu, busily counting squid suckers and tentacles to assist in descriptions of new species. Melanie went on to work as a Relocations Officer during the Museum move from Russell Street, then as an assistant collection manager in Invertebrate Zoology at various temporary locations before finally settling at Melbourne Museum.

After a 10 year stint away from the museum (in Learning, Development, Training & Publishing both here and in Japan) Melanie is back working in the Collections at Melbourne Museum

Melanie Mackenzie