Zavala grew up in La Verne, California, and was one of five children.[3][1] When she was young, her parents were farm workers, and picked lemons in the farms of Southern California.[3]
She credits her interest in plant biology to her grandmother, who was a curandera (a traditional medicine healer), and her father, who grew roses in their garden.[3] She carried out her first experiments in plant biology at the age of seven, when she compared the growth of lentils in the sunlight and in the shade.[1]
In high school, she worked as a teaching assistant in chemistry and biology.[3] She was also in her school band.[3]
Zavala's research focuses on plant development, specifically the structure of roots.[4][1] She focuses her research on beans and corn, with the aim of creating crops that can resist cooler temperatures.[1] Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Institutes of Health.[4][10]
Zavala has also taken a keen interest in education equity, by helping to develop science curricula, and by establishing and directing programs to champion the participation of women and minorities in science.[4] For example, she has been involved in American Women in Science, Women in Science and Engineering, Women in Cell Biology, the American Society of Plant Biologists Minority Affairs Committee, and the American Society for Cell Biology Minority Affairs Committee.[4] Between 2001 and 2002, Zavala also served as the first Chicana president of the Society of Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.[4][11] She spoke at the 2017 Los Angeles March for Science.[12]
Additionally, she has been the director of CSUN’s Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR) program since 1990, as well as the Research Initiatives for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) since 1993.[2][13][14][6][15][excessive citations]
She contributed to the book "Flor y Ciencia: Chicanas in Mathematics, Science and Engineering".[4][16]
^Adam, Michelle (December 17, 2001). "Setting an Example for Students Nationwide: Maria Elena Zavala, First Latina President of SACNAS". The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education. 12 (6): 17.