She completed her graduate training at the University of Western Ontario, and research fellowships at the Addiction Research Foundation in Toronto, Canada, and Yale University. Her research is focused on improving treatment for those with nicotine and alcohol use disorders. Using a transdisciplinary perspective, she utilizes various methodologies including human laboratory paradigms, survey research, and epidemiological research to uncover the mechanisms underlying poor outcomes and translate these findings into improved interventions. Much of her work is aimed at developing and validating laboratory paradigms designed to facilitate translational work in medication development for alcohol and tobacco dependence.