 Her research focuses on magmas that evolve due to the plate tectonic cycle, namely subduction zones.More specifically, Plank has published notable papers tracing sediments from sea floors to their ultimate end as lava from arc volcanoes.This 'creation' of magma from sediments, how sediments decompress and at what temperature and water content, has remained the research in which she is most invested and interested.One of Dr. Planks most notable works came from a collaboration with Langmuir in 1998.