Dr. Benavides studies the energy and environmental effects of conversion processes used to produce fuels and chemicals from bio-based and waste feedstocks. She has also studied catalyst production, their impact on the life cycle of biofuels, and the fate of catalyst waste materials from catalyst production and use. Recently, she has been studying plastic production pathways to quantify the life cycle GHG emissions and fossil fuel consumption of bioplastics, considering end-of-life (EOL) tradeoffs between biodegradability and carbon sequestration. She has worked closely with colleagues at other national laboratories on projects including evaluations of bioproducts and biofuels through the Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center (CEMAC) and ongoing projects thought BETO Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines (Co-Optima) and Agile BioFoundry (ABF). Dr. Benavides’ work is used to update and enhance Argonne’s Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model. She earned a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operation Research from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and a Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Colombia.