Research and consulting activities are focused on anthropogenic releases of contaminants to subsurface environments and their subsequent transport, fate, and management. Specific areas of interest are pragmatic expectations for Nonaqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) remedies and passive strategies for management of NAPL releases.
Maria is fascinated by the complexity associated with metabolic processes at a molecular level. Microorganisms are of particular interest to her because of the diversity of metabolic processes that exist in that kingdom and the potential technological applications that can be derived from such complex beings. Her research focuses in furthering the understanding about microbial processes occurring in the subsurface of hydrocarbon impacted sites. Her goal is to discover and optimize biochemical systems that can be successfully implemented as remediation technologies.