Associate ProfessorMaria Seton

A/Prof Maria Seton’s research focusses on marine geoscience, tectonics and geodynamics, with an emphasis on understanding how deep Earth processes shape the evolution of the Earth’s surface. She uses plate tectonics as a unifying framework to investigate the links between mantle dynamics, plate reorganisations, long-term sea-level change, and the formation of critical minerals and materials. She is internationally recognised for her work on redefining how plate tectonic reconstructions are developed and applied and is a leading authority on the plate tectonic evolution of Zealandia and the broader southwest Pacific. 

She has a strong research track-record in securing competitive government funding primarily through the Australian Research Council (including 2 fellowship schemes) and NCRIS, as well as through direct government agency and industry funding.

Her research program aligns strongly with the Faculty of Science Research Strengths in Understanding Our Planet, Climate and Environmental Change, Critical Minerals and Materials, and Net Zero Technologies, linking fundamental geodynamics with societal challenges including resource security, environmental resilience, and decarbonisation pathways.