She holds a doctoral degree in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley. Her research looks at recovery, adaptation, and resilience to catastrophic events through the lens of housing and land use. Her previous work has examined equity and affordability in the provision of post-disaster housing in India and the mobilization and use of community capacities for shelter needs in Haiti. Her ongoing research, funded by the Japan Foundation, assesses local land use adaptation initiatives among urban coastal communities after catastrophic events in Japan and the United States.