She holds doctorate and master s degrees in microbiology and immunology from the University of Western Ontario (Canada), with emphasis on bacterial lipopolysaccharide assembly and bacterial ultrastructure, respectively. Her postdoctoral research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center investigated the interactions of diphtheria toxin with its host cell receptor. Her current research focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms underlying the biofilms of S. maltophilia. She has another research track investigating the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria on surfaces. She has published 17 papers in peer-reviewed journals.