She is a development economist specializing in the economics of education and disease. Her current research focuses on the intergenerational effects of adult HIV/AIDS treatment, the importance of information in school choice decisions and the effect of teacher incentives on student achievement. She has published research on malaria, free primary education, secondary school choice, the return to school quality and early primary school literacy. Prior to joining the University of Delaware, she was an assistant professor of economics at Wellesley College. She received her Ph.D. and A.M. in economics from Brown University and her B.A. in economics from Wesleyan University.