She is known for her research in the fields of molecular neuroscience, maternal behavior, and epigenetics. Her main research interest concerns how genetic and environmental factors interact to regulate maternal behavior, and how natural variations in this behavior can shape the behavioral development of offspring through epigenetic changes in gene expression in a brain region specific manner. She won the NIH Director's New Innovator Award in 2007. Champagne did her postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge, England where she studied animal behavior. She was an assistant professor of psychology at Columbia University, New York City until becoming associate professor. Champagne received her a M.Sc. in psychiatry and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from McGill University, Canada.