Maria Seton

Associate Professor Maria Seton is a leading marine geoscientist and Associate Head of Research in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney. She holds a PhD from the University of Sydney (2005) and has been awarded prestigious fellowships including an Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship (2009) and an ARC Future Fellowship (2013). Her research focuses on global and regional tectonics, geodynamics, and the study of Zealandia, a submerged continent. She is a core member of the EarthByte Research Group and serves on the Research Advisory Committee for the Marine National Facility (MNF), CSIRO.

Key research areas include plate tectonic reconstructions, subduction zone dynamics, and the geophysical characterization of ocean basins. Maria has contributed to landmark studies defining Zealandia’s continental status and resolving mysteries like the 'undiscovery' of Sandy Island. Her work integrates geophysical data, computational modeling (e.g., GPlates software), and field studies to explore Earth’s structural evolution.

Notable achievements include the Dorothy Hill Medal (2014) and leadership in international projects such as the Eastern Coral Sea Tectonics (ECOSAT) voyages. Maria’s research has been widely covered in media, emphasizing public engagement with geoscience. She collaborates across academia and industry, advancing resource exploration tools and low-emissions economy initiatives through digital geoscience frameworks.

• Education: PhD in Geosciences, University of Sydney (2005)
• Affiliations: EarthByte Group, MNF Advisory Committee
• Grants: Includes ARC Linkage Projects and ANZIC-funded initiatives
• Labs/Teams: EarthByte Research Group (specializing in computational geodynamics)