She holds a PhD in Linguistics from Monash University, an MA and Graduate Diploma in TESOL from the University of Canberra and a BA in translating and interpreting from Chile. Her area of expertise is discourse analysis and she has carried out cross-disciplinary research projects in collaboration with colleagues from Medicine and Psychology both in Australia and abroad. Marisa has led many research groups as well as the Spanish Programs at Monash University and the University of Queensland and she is currently Director of Studies in the School of Languages and Cultures.