She earned her Ph.D. from New York University, examining the social and reproductive function of a long-distance vocalization in white-bellied spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. She continues to be involved in collaborative research on communication and social interactions in spider monkeys and other ateline primates in Ecuador. She is currently involved in collaborative research in Indonesia, geared towards understand the effects of hunting and logging on primate communities at sites in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. She has conducted primate research in Wehea Forest on several occasions. Her research in Wehea Forest focuses on the behavioral ecology of maroon langur and estimating the size and demographic structure of the orangutan population. She is also active with the training of rangers in biodiversity monitoring and data management.