She received a Ph.D. in Architecture from Texas A&M University in 2006, a M.S. and a B.S. in Housing and Interior Design from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. She has been conducting a good number of research studies regarding affordable housing, energy-efficient housing, child-friendly residential environments, high-tech amenities for the elderly, New Urbanism, the defensible space theory for residential properties, and the supportive design theory for healthcare design. She has been an active member for several organizations such as the Environmental Design and Research Association and Housing Education and Research Association. She also serves several scholarly journals as a board member, such as the Journal of Architectural and Planning Research and the Journal of Korean Housing Association.