She obtained her B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins Univesity and M.S. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Clemson University. She earned her Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental and Water Resources from the Virginia Tech, where she stayed for her postdoc. Her research focuses on the fate and transport of microbial and organic chemical contaminants in surface and ground water. She has published research on microbial source tracking, biodegradation of munitions and crude oil, and antibiotic resistance.