She received her Ph.D. in psychology and social behavior from the University of California, Irvine in 2008 and then completed postdoctoral training in forensic developmental psychology at the University of Cambridge (UK). Her research addresses questions concerning children's and adolescents' disclosure of negative experiences, investigative interviewing, and implications of research findings for the legal system. She is the 2014 recipient of the Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Excellence in Psychology and Law from the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology.