She holds masters degrees from both the University of North Texas and University of Hawaii, and Ph.D. from Tokyo Institute of Technology. Her primary research interest is to combine environmental ethics, which she studied with Baird Callicott at the University of North Texas, with the dialogue-based educational method "philosophy for children" that she learned at the University of Hawaii. She examines philosophical issues that arise through the collaboration with the public and governmental sectors for sustainable development, and attempts to construct democratic process of environmental conservation. Her article, "Revitalizing Local Commons," appeared in Environmental Ethics 35, no. 3 (2013): 279-293.