She previously taught at the University of Utah for 12 years. She specializes in Chinese literature and culture, and has published widely on 16th-century vernacular fiction as well as the interconnections between early myth, history and fiction in China. Porter has taught the course on psychoanalysis and international studies in the ISS program since 2014 and has also taught the portfolio capstone course ISS 401. She holds a Ph.D. in East Asian studies from Princeton University.