[1][2] She is currently a Professor and Associate Head in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, as well the Senior Scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Lab, at Colorado State University.
Cotrufo wrote her undergraduate honor thesis, "Effects of urban heavy metal pollution on organic matter decomposition in Quercus ilex woods,"[4] in the lab of the only professor of ecology at her university.
[5] In 2008, Cotrufo began working as a Full Professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, and Senior Scientist in the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, at Colorado State University.
She is most interested in studying how carbon and nitrogen are exchanged through plant litter, soil, and the atmosphere, especially focusing on how C and N fluxes respond to changes in environment.
In addition to her research, Cotrufo is passionate about promoting education and outreach activities that will help others become aware about the ways that humans can reduce their impacts on the earth and implement more sustainable practices.