She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Emmet Interdisciplinary Program for the Environment and Resources. She received an NSF Career Award in 2005 and the Army Research Office Young Investigator Award in 2009. Her research efforts include sorbent design and testing for carbon and trace metal capture from fossil fuels, adsorption studies of CO2 on coal and gas shales, and membrane design for N2 and H2 separations. Wilcox earned a BA in mathematics from Wellesley College and an MA in physical chemistry and a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona. She recently authored the first textbook on Carbon Capture. In addition, she has served on several study groups including the American Physical Society to the National Academy of Sciences to investigate CO2 mitigation and adaptation strategies.