Maria T. Maldonado

Maria T. Maldonado is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC) since 2003. She holds a Canada Research Chair II and specializes in understanding trace metal acquisition mechanisms in marine phytoplankton and their impacts on global biogeochemical cycles and climate regulation. Her research integrates microbial physiology, ocean biochemistry, and ecology with advanced analytical techniques.

• Education: BA (Smith College, 1991), PhD (McGill University, 1999)
• Postdoctoral Training: UC Santa Cruz, Princeton University, University of Maine

Research focuses on:

• Physiological regulation of trace metal (Fe, Mn, Zn, Co) uptake in marine microorganisms
• Trace metal controls on harmful algal blooms and microbial community composition
• Glacial-interglacial oceanic Fe bioavailability and phytoplankton assemblages
• Biological carbon pump dynamics and climate regulation