Her research examines the intersection of religion and family life in the United States, with a current focus on the religious lives of adolescents. Dr. Denton’s primary work is with the National Study of Youth and Religion, a longitudinal mixed-method study of youth and young adults in the United States based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Notre Dame University. She served as the Project Manager for Wave 1 and is currently a Co-Investigator for Waves 2 and 3. Dr. Denton’s publications include Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers with Christian Smith and Religion and Spirituality on the Path Through Adolescence: A Research Report of the National Study of Youth and Religion with Lisa D. Pearce and Christian Smith.