Her research involves the developmental mechanisms that have influenced mammals' morphological diversification, or the way their form and structure have changed over time. Specifically, she seeks to understand how development has been modified to generate new morphologies and the role that development plays in influencing why certain morphologies rather than others evolve, sometimes repeatedly. To address these questions, she combines traditional embryological and paleontological approaches with modern developmental and genetic techniques to gather data from fossilized and living mammals. Her lab works with opossums, bats, horses, pigs and mice. Her work was featured in "Extreme Mammals," a national touring exhibit organized by the American Museum of Natural History. She earned her Ph.D. in evolutionary biology at the University of Chicago.