She uses organic molecules and their isotopes to investigate life and the transformations of carbon in the subseafloor. Her research centres on linking microbial metabolisms and abundances to the physical and chemical regimes that they inhabit, identifying abiotic reactions that form organic molecules, and determining the consequences of water-rock reactions on the oceanic organic carbon cycle. Her field sites include oceanic and continental serpentinisation sites, and she will be leading an expedition to the Lost City hydrothermal field as co-Chief Scientist in September 2018. She has developed several novel methods to analyse the isotopic (13C, 14C) composition of organic molecules.