Her book, Beautiful Wasteland: The Rise of Detroit as America's Postindustrial Frontier analyzes the centrality of race-making in the contemporary narratives of urban decline and revitalization. Her research and teaching interests include: comparative ethnic studies; urban studies; and American studies. She is currently at work on a book-length study, Rust Belt Chinatowns: Restaurants, Race, and Redevelopment in the Twenty First Century which analyzes the complexities of race and redevelopment by looking at “Asian American” space.