Santa completed her graduate studies at the University of Houston, where she investigated the synthesis of a natural product and developed a new chemical transformation to synthesize complex polycyclic compounds. After graduation, she joined the Chemical Separations group in Chemical Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in late 2014. She is a senior staff scientist and a principal investigator on several projects. She also serves as deputy lead for the Unlocking Secondary Sources focus area within the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub. Her research interests include synthesizing and testing structurally complex and diverse organic compounds and materials for applications in rare earth recovery and selective separation, nuclear science (An/Ln separation), and ion-conducting polymer research.