Mitchell is a PhD candidate at the University of Technology, Sydney and Project Lead at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science. Broadly, Mitchell is interested in the biology and ecology of threatened fishes and ecosystems, with a particular interest and adoration on syngnathids, the family of fishes that includes seahorses, sea dragons and pipefish. Mitchell's PhD research focuses on the conservation of the endangered White's seahorse, Hippocampus whitei. Mitchell is the NSW marine representative on the ASFB Threatened Fishes Committee.