Her primary research focuses on how humans interact with very large data sets—human-centered data science—an area that melds several academic fields such as computer science, data science, and social psychology. Her interests include visual analytics, human-computer interaction, emotions in text communication, collaborative educational games, and data-intensive scientific collaborations. Prior to joining the UW faculty, she worked for 15 years as a software developer in industry (including the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and NASA) and three years as the founder and CEO of a company.