She holds a doctorate in Marine Geology and Geophysics from the University of Hawaii and a bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, Maine. Her scientific research explores the shifting of the Earth's tectonic plates underlying the darkest depths of the Western Pacific Ocean, including the deepest place on Earth - the Mariana Trench. She also studies coastal erosion and migration of eroding barrier islands along the mid-Atlantic seashore with the goal of understanding and mitigating the effects of sea level rise on coastal communities.