But it is a title Rachel Rayner is proud to own.

At the end of May, the 28-year-old Discovery Science and Technology Centre employee will embark on a five-week voyage aboard exploration vessel Nautilus, venturing to untouched stretches of the Pacific Ocean floor. 

The expedition is the brainchild of US oceanographer Dr Robert Ballard, best known for discovering the wreck of the doomed sea liner Titanic in 1985.

His Ocean Exploration Trust, based in Rhode Island, not only conducts research about what lies underneath the water’s surface, but beams video of the work live into homes and schools worldwide. 

Ms Rayner was chosen as a science communication fellow in 2015, educating online audiences about what researchers found in waters around the Galapagos Islands. 

The only Australian educator on board, she was invited back to mentor a new batch of science communicators in 2016. 

This year’s adventure will start in Canadian waters and end off of southern California, visiting the sites of decades-old shipwrecks, including an oil tanker sunk in the Second World War.

“We're going to see how structurally sound it is, because it is harbouring oil, so one of the things we want to check is if it’s going to be leaking oil soon, and if it is, what steps we can take to stop that,” she said. 

The crew carry out their assignment from aboard the boat, using remote operated vehicles to collect specimens and capture vision of some of the earth’s last remaining uncharted waters. 

The last expedition identified several examples of sealife that Ms Rayner is hoping scientists will soon deem new discoveries. 

“Every time we go down, we see parts of the earth that no person has ever seen before,” she said. 

“We're really tracking unknown territory each time we dive.”

Born in Sydney, Ms Rayner’s fascination with the ocean began as a child. 

“I loved any chance to go out on a boat and go snorkeling or fishing,” she said.

“Living that close to the ocean was lovely.”

When she talks about the water, Ms Rayner leans in and her eyes widen with unmistakable passion.

Asked about her favourite discoveries at sea, she reels off a long list of colorfully named creatures: gulper eel, tripod fish, dumbo octopus and flamboyant squid worm.

A angler fish and dragon fish are still on her wishlist. 

Last year, 600 metres under the Gulf of Mexico, one of the Nautilus ROVs even had a close encounter with a sperm whale. 

“Everyone was just like, ‘wow, amazing’,” she said.

Ms Rayner has a similar enthusiasm for sharing her experiences with Bendigo schoolchildren.

Students at Lockwood Primary School video-called the Nautilus in 2015 and she was able to pose the young people’s scientific questions to the ship’s specialists.

“It's about humanising the big moments of science that bring it out of the ivory tower,” she said.

“Science is for everyone.” 

Discovery general manager Jonathan Ridnell agreed, saying it was the responsibility of educators to share their knowledge of the natural world.

“Science belongs to the community and if they’re not understanding the story, then its not their fault,” he said. “Its ours.” 

But data from Australian workplaces indicate women continue to be outnumbered by men in the fields of science, mathematics, engineering and technology.

Just 28 per cent of Australian STEM workers were women in 2011, despite making up more than half of university graduates in the field. 

Ms Rayner said her decision to study science had raised some eyebrows among people she met. 

“A lot of people look at you and say ‘oh really, why?’” she said. 

“There is that feeling in the culture that, as a women, maybe there's other things you can do that you'd be better at.”

But she said women were well represented in science communication and despite its all-male crew, the gender of researchers and engineers aboard Nautilus had begun to balance.

Mr Ridnell said his employee’s work had the potential to put their science and technology centre on the world stage.  

“To have one of our best science communicators out there is awesome, and I think this isn't just a coup for Bendigo, but for Australia,” he said. 

Connecting with the Nautilus will build on the local community’s body of scientific knowledge, Mr Ridnell explained, saying despite its inland location, marine research had real world implications for Bendigonians. 

“What's below the surface is very important to understanding what’s above the surface,” he said. 

“What happens in the ocean affects our weather, which has a big impact on us all.”

Ms Rayner is acutely aware of the ocean’s impact; her only concern before departure this month is the possibility of rough weather.

“I am a bit worried about how rocky it’s going to be in the Pacific Ocean,” she said.

People can follow the Nautilus’ journey at www.nautiluslive.org.