She specializes in earthquake engineering and protective systems for high seismic performance, with application to buildings and bridges. She was the PI of the U.S. National Science Foundation funded “Tools for Isolation and Protective Systems” (or TIPS) project to address impediments to the wider application of seismic isolation systems, and she led an international collaborative test program between the U.S. and Japan that conducted earthquake testing of a full scale building comparing conventional and alternative construction approaches. Ongoing research examines ways to ensure that high seismic performance objectives can be met. She has authored more than 50 publications on topics related to seismic isolation, high seismic performance, and life cycle analysis of structures.