Dr Deepa Varkey is a marine biologist with research interests in microbial ecology, coastal primary productivity and molecular mechanisms of thermal tolerance in marine organisms. 

Having completed her PhD in 2016 on temperature adaptation in Synechococcus which included use of proteomics to examine how Synechococcus respond to cold temperature stress and profiling of phytoplankton diversity in Sydney Harbour and open ocean waters, Dr Varkey's current research focuses on understanding and predicting how the structure and function of marine microbial communities vary across space and time in response to environmental change.

By utilising molecular tools and Machine Learning, her research attempts to predict microbial provinces in the oceans using species distribution models based upon extensive microbial community and environmental data collected by the Marine Microbes and Australian Microbiome projects. A key goal of this research is the development of tools to monitor the health of Australia's marine provinces. 

Dr Varkey is also an associate member of the Scientific Committee of Oceanic Research Working Group #156 (SCOR156) - established to advance the use of active chlorophyll-a fluorometry techniques, such as Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry to measure ocean primary productvity.