Maria Gudjonsdottir

María Guðjónsdóttir is a mechanical engineer whose work focuses on improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of geothermal energy utilisation. With more than two decades of experience across industry and academia, she brings a strongly applied perspective to research and teaching at Reykjavík University.

A central part of her work is collaboration with industry, particularly the use of real data from geothermal fields to investigate practical engineering challenges. This approach helps connect academic research with the operational realities of geothermal development and gives students insight into how engineering decisions are made in real energy systems.

Connecting Research, Industry and Teaching

María has taught across energy and mechanical engineering and has supervised MSc and PhD students working on geothermal and energy-related topics. Her work with the GRO Geothermal programme also connects her teaching to an international community of professionals and researchers working across the geothermal sector.

Her combination of engineering experience, applied research and industry collaboration gives students exposure to geothermal energy as both a technical discipline and a real-world system that must balance performance, cost and resource use.