She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from New York University, an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Her current research uses in-depth interviews to examine how gender and sexuality shape people's hook up, dating, and relationship behaviors and narratives. She has published articles in Gender & Society, Men & Masculinities, and Sociological Forum. Her book project, The Mating Game: Courtship in an Era of Gender Upheaval, is under contract with the University of California Press. She teaches Constructions of Gender, Sociology of Families, Women, Crime, and the Justice System, and Sociology of Intimate Relationships at Appalachian State University.