Maria holds a BA in Psychology and a PhD in Applied Ethics. Her primary research interests centre around the psychology of peace and conflict, with a focus on conflict prevention and building ethical understanding across racial, national and cultural boundaries. Through her research, Maria has developed principals for promoting social justice that apply readily to governance processes, education programs, training modules and media productions.

Her work has been published in a variety of books and journals and has also contributed to international conferences, involving presentations in South Africa, Brazil, New Zealand and Kenya. Maria has also lived and travelled extensively in Southeast Asia, Japan, South America and India.

Maria is currently the Research Associate for Community Works, a Melbourne-based firm that specialises in applying social science research to enhance the impact of international, social, and community development initiatives.

Research expertise and interests:

• Devising models for optimum cross-cultural interaction in the workplace
• Developing culturally appropriate education programs to encourage civic participation
• Critically analysing governance structures with the aim of improving human rights outcomes, particularly for Indigenous peoples