Melanie graduated with a BA from Rhodes University, South Africa in 2006, majoring in English Literature and Psychology, with minors in Sociology and Politics. She then moved to the University of Cape Town where she completed a BSc in Human Physiology and Genetics in 2009, and a BSc (Med) (Hons) in Medical Microbiology in 2010, and a MSc (Med) at the MRC/ UCT Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Institute in early 2013. She took a brief break from academia and worked for Siyavula Education, publishing open-education textbooks in Biology and Natural Sciences for High School and Primary School learners. In 2016, she joined Aberystwyth University as a PhD fellow in the EU Marie Curie MicroArctic ITN, using metagenomics to investigate the biotechnological potential of cryospheric bacteria. After completing the PhD in 2020, she joined the Royal Veterinary College and Prof Damer Blake's Lab as a Postdoctoral Scientist using metagenomics to trace pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in poultry distribution networks in India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka.