Dr María Payeras Grau lectures since 1982 at the UIB (University of the Balearic Islands). In March 2015 she was awarded an Honorary PhD by the USV (Suceava, Romania).

She has been distinguished with the Premio Sial de Ensayo (2002) and the Beca de Investigación Miguel Fernández (2003). Her research has mainy focused on post-war Spanish literature, in particular, post-war poetry, having conducted a great part of her body of research in 1950s Spanish poetry. To the research of this period she has contributed with numerous publications, including: Poesía española de posguerra (1986); El sueño de la realidad: poesía y poética de Ángel González (2009); La 'Colección Colliure' y los poetas del medio siglo (1990); Memorias y suplantaciones: la obra poética de José Manuel Caballero Bonald (1997) and Desde las orillas. Poetas del 50 en los márgenes del Canon (2013). She has also co-edited 1959, de Collioure a Formentor (200) alongside Carme Riera.

Another of her more prominent bodies of research has been in the field of contemporary Spanish women's writing. On this subject she has published volumes such as El linaje de Eva (2003), Espejos de palabra (2009). She has edited the work of Ana Inés Bonnin (La esperanza del amanecer, 2009) and Alfonsa de la Torre (2011).

She has taken part in six research projects from the Plan Nacional de I+D+i, having been the principal researcher in four of them, and she has also directed two projects in academic excellence.

She has held academic positions as Director de la Residencia de Estudiantes (Director of the UIB's Students' Residence) between 1995-200 and Director del Departamento de Filología Hispánica, Moderna y Clásica (Departmental Director for Hispanic, Modern and Classical Philology) between 2000-2004, and has been part of numerous university committees.