Professor Secco's research interests are in mineral physics and materials science. He endeavors to understand the effects of high pressures and high/low temperatures on solids and liquids. Results are applied to core dynamics and evolution inside Earth and other terrestrial planetary bodies (Moon, Mercury, Mars, Ganymede, Europa) as well as to tailoring charge transport in materials for applications. 

Dr. Secco is also the Director of the Experimental High Pressure-Temperature Mineral Physics and Materials Science laboratory, where this research is done using furnaces, large volume high pressure presses, weighing balances, stereozoom microscopes, electrical and thermal conductivity measuring devices, complete acoustic emission measuring equipment, thermal analysis and differential thermogravimetric analysis equipment, and a wide variety of machining equipment.