Susie is a Professor at Lincoln University and co-director of Waterways Centre in Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand. Her research focuses on understanding toxic cyanobacteria dynamics in freshwater systems, developing molecular techniques to monitor aquatic ecosystems, and integrating cutting-edge techniques with traditional paleolimnological approaches. She has more than 200 peer reviewed scientific publications and attracts funding from the New Zealand government and various tiers of government and industry for collaborative funding for a range of water quality issues. She received the Kilham Lecture Award from the International Limnology Society in 2022, and the New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society medal in 2019.