Maria is an Environmental Associate specializing in data analysis and environmental impact assessment. She earned her M.S. in Bioengineering from KAUST (2023) and a B.S. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Psychology from UMass Amherst (2021). As a Researcher at KAUST’s Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC) under Prof. Pascal Saikaly, she investigated glucose-utilizing Shewanella chilikensis JC5 and its coexistence with Geobacter sulfurreducens. Maria was a recipient of the prestigious KAUST Gifted Student Program (KGSP) Scholarship (2015-2021), supporting her academic and research journey. She is also a Qimam and Jeel Tamooh Fellow.

She currently works as an Environmental Associate at KAUST Beacon Development, where she focuses on environmental and social impact assessment.