She completed her undergraduate degree with a double major in applied physics and psychology at Yale University, and received her PhD in applied physics from Harvard University in 2006. She received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2010, was named a Cottrell Scholar from 2009, and received the NSF CAREER award in 2010. She teaches a seminar course on Gender in Science, and is the founder and host of SciTech Café, holding monthly events that bring scientists into an informal setting to discuss their work with the general public.