Her research is animated by an interest in understanding the structural barriers people face in forming their desired families. She addresses this topic by studying how employment characteristics shape the transition to parenthood, trends in the US birth rate, and access to contraception and abortion.

Kristen’s research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, P.E.O International.,and the University of Texas Graduate School. She has published in a number of academic journals, including Demography, Population Research and Policy Review, and Studies in Family Planning, and contributed to public discourse through op-eds and policy briefs.

Prior to joining the University of California, San Francisco, she worked as a graduate research assistant with the Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Texas at Austin and as a research assistant at the Guttmacher Institute. She also served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Spartanburg, SC where she helped to open a free health clinic.

In her free time, Kristen is also actively researching how to make the perfect scoop of ice cream. She enjoys reading fiction, playing bassoon, and walking her pup, Roo.