She works on applied questions at the intersection between land systems science, watershed science, and population geography and uses spatio-temporal modeling (GIS, statistical modeling, remote sensing, UAV-based photogrammetry) to quantify and disentangle the roles of human decision-making and environmental changes in driving changes in coupled human-natural systems. She received a PhD from the University of Florida in Geography and Environmental Engineering in 2011 and has since published over 25 peer-reviewed articles on the various aspects of integrating earth observation, spatio-temporal modeling and human well-being.