Maya is pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, with research focusing on the effects of climate change and marine heatwave events on kelp forest ecosystems. Through a variety of methods, such as scuba field sampling, genomics, experimental and statistical modeling, she is interested to uncover how warming oceans are playing a role in ecosystem shifts from kelp-dominated states to urchin barrens. Her studies focus on purple sea urchins from both the larval and benthic adult life history stage perspectives and how rising temperatures, food availability, and habitat of origin influence resilience or vulnerabilities to climate change. This work directly relates to marine conservation and management practices along the California coastline.

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