In 2011, she received a NSF CAREER award, which examines how engineering students approach innovation. She is also a NAE/CASEE New Faculty Fellow. She is an editorial board member for the Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education (JPEER) and the Journal of Science Education. Purzer conducts research on the assessment of difficult and often vaguely defined constructs such as innovativeness, information literacy, engineering design, and data-driven decision making. Purzer has M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in science education from Arizona State University. She also has a B.S. degree in physics education and a B.S.E. in engineering.