A/Prof Marmo holds a PhD in Applied Social Science (University of Lancaster, UK) and an LLB (Honours) (Università di Salerno, Italy). She joined the Flinders Law School in 2005, after having held positions in the UK (University of Leicester and the Liverpool John Moores University).

A/Prof Marmo is a leading expert on human mobility, human rights and cross-border migration. Her research has been cited by academics and senior policymakers worldwide, profiled by several prominent international and national media outlets, formed the base for a British Parliamentary Q&A session and used to inform a documentary in Britain. She is an active contributor to national and state inquiries.

A/Prof Marmo has published/co-published extensively in the area of transnational criminal matters, including the book Narrating Injustice Survival, the book Transnational Crime and Criminal Justice, the book Race, Gender and the Body and the book Crime, Justice and Human Rights. Over the years, she authored over 30 articles and book chapters in top quality academic journals and distinguished book publishers.

She has attracted external funding from a number of sources, including the joint initiative EU-Australian Government, the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA), the Ian Potter Foundation and the South Australian Law Foundation.

A/Prof Marmo is a multiple award-winning tertiary education teacher, with the latest award received in 2018 by the ANZ Society of Criminology for its inaugural excellence in teaching prize, demonstrating leadership and academic distinction in the field.