Her teaching and research focus on American history through the long 19th century, with an emphasis on gender, identity, community, and the military. She is currently working on a manuscript that focuses on sabotage, irregular naval warfare, and masculinity during the Civil War. A portion of this research was recently published in an edited collection entitled Guerrilla Hunters: Irregular Conflicts During the Civil War (2017), She earned her PhD from the University of Georgia in 2016.