She received her PhD in zoology at the University of Florida (UF) in 2007. She then completed a postdoc while serving as the Assistant Director of the Group-Advantaged Training of Research (GATOR) Program, also at UF. Alison is a former fellow and current team leader in the Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST IV). At Hood College, Alison teaches courses including introductory biology, introductory and advanced human anatomy and physiology, comparative animal physiology, and senior seminar. In the laboratory, she studies the effects of environmental contaminants, namely endocrine-disrupting chemicals, on invertebrates including crayfish and anemones.