Her work focuses on communication, deliberation, and leadership in social movements and democratic politics. She has examined these processes in her study of Brazilian youth politics during re-democratization as well as in her work on anti-partisanship in the recent Brazilian protest wave. Currently, she is working on a book on the role of future-oriented deliberations in social and political change efforts across global networks focused on development, peacebuilding and environmental sustainability. She also coordinates the Faculty Working Group entitled “Towards Goal 16: Social and Political Action for Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions” at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs.