Cressida's doctoral research investigated the history of the removal and subsequent study of Indigenous human remains by European institutions in the 19th century and the rise of the reburial movement. Completing her PhD at the University of Southampton, UK in 1998, she continued working within the repatriation field for Indigenous communities and museums in Australia, Hawaii, New Zealand and the UK, particularly in the location and identification of Ancestral Remains through archival research. Her extensive work in this area is also reflected in her publication record.

Cressida worked as a cultural heritage consultant until 2009, on a range of repatriation projects in the UK and overseas. She also worked on community projects in the UK, particularly in relation to local heritage, focussing on oral history interviews, museum exhibition, community publications, and online presentation and transmission of information.

In January 2009 she joined the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) as its Coordinator of Research Publications and Public Programs. This role included convening the 2009 and 2011 AIATSIS National Indigenous Studies Conference and a range of symposia and seminar series, as well as editing the AIATSIS journal, Australian Aboriginal Studies, and its Discussion Paper series.

From November  2011 to December 2019 she was Deputy Director at the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at The Australian National University (ANU).

From January 2020 she has been a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies at ANU.

PhD (University of Southampton, UK); BA (Hons) (University of Southampton, UK)

Cressida's primary area of research focus has been the history of the removal and subsequent study of Indigenous human remains by European institutions within the 'race' paradigm in the 19th century and the campaigns to secure their return. She is particularly interested in how this history illustrates mechanisms of identity representation and construction, how similar mechanisms operate today, how to identify their presence and impact, and to invoke change. 

Associated interests include the legacy of the race paradigm in deficit discourse about Aboriginal people, the nature and prevalence of such discourse, and its impact.

She is interested in the communication of information about the meaning and value of cultural heritage, particularly in relation to local communities and Indigenous cultural heritage housed in museums and other collecting institutions. She has a significant interest in public archaeology and the politics of the past.