Maria is an economist, graduate of the Master's in Development Economics from FLACSO Ecuador. She is also a research assistant at the Center for Studies in Development and Applied Economics (CEDEA-FLACSO). Member of the ECUAMOD Project (linked to the SOUTMOD program of UNU-WIDER). She has worked as an external consultant for organizations such as Heifer Foundation, GIZ, Inter-American Development Bank, The World Bank, among others. Her research focuses on microeconomics, labor economics, poverty and inequality, and sustainability issues. Particularly in developing countries.