Prior to arriving at SUU she taught Anthropology as a visiting instructor at Colgate University and the University of California, at Berkeley, where she also earned her Ph.D. in 2005. She specializes in the archaeology and prehistory of the Andean region of South America and has worked on archaeological projects in Peru and Bolivia since 1995. Most recently she has investigated the Inca site of Raqchi, located southeast of Cuzco, Peru and the region surrounding the Neo-Inca site of Vitcos in Vilcabamba.