She is the founding principal of Studio Ames, an architectural design office based in Brooklyn, New York. Her practice focuses on the dialogue between art and architecture, historical and new, and perception and type, to inform new physical manifestations and visual representations. Her research focuses on the spatial implications of social, economic, and political shifts within cities, and how these intersecting forces affect contemporary living models. Ames received her Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology, and the History of Art and Architecture from Brown University, and received her Master of Architecture from Yale School of Architecture. She has previously taught studios and seminars at Rice School of Architecture and Yale School of Architecture.