She received a PhD in sociology from the University of California, San Diego in 2007. McMullen is co-PI on a recent NSF Creative-IT grant to study interdisciplinary collaboration. In her creative work, McMulten combines a sociological perspective with artistic strategies. She has published articles in Media-N, the on-line Journal of the New Media Caucus and Senses and Society. Her collaborative artworks have been shown at diverse venues such as Wade, Toronto, Canada, Art Center Nabi, Seoul, Korea and the Spark Festival, Minneapolis, USA.