Maksym received his doctorate degree in applied economics from Auburn University in 2004. Prior to coming to UWA, he had postdoctoral positions at Auburn University and NCSU studying anthropogenic effects on diversity of forest trees; impact of property tax policy, urbanization, and markets on land use change; and analysing harvest behaviour of private forest owners. His research interests include environmental and resource economics, land economics, biodiversity conservation, and spatially explicit bio-economic modelling.

He is interested in the integration of ecology and economics to better understand the choices humans make concerning natural resources and consequences of these choices for the environment.

He has published 14 research papers in peer reviewed journals and book chapters. The diverse list of journals where he has published his research include Forest Ecology and Management, Forest Policy and Economics, Forest Science, Forest Products Journal, Land Economics, Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Biomass and Bioenergy.

His main research topic is economics of biodiversity and focuses on prioritising investment in biodiversity in fragmented landscapes in Australia. It involves development of spatially explicit bio-economic models that optimise provision of biodiversity services subject to minimising loss to agricultural production. His other research topics include valuing environmental assets in multifunctional rural landscapes as well as in urban settings.