She received her Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Irvine, her Master's degree in Applied Sociology from San Diego State University, and bachelor degrees in Economics and Applied Mathematics from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Ezzet-Lofstrom's research focuses on topics including the relationship between low-income housing and property values, how amenities affect wages and property values, and how urban growth affects quality-of-life and inter-metropolitan migration.