She holds a Bachelor in Economics from McGill University (1979), a master in Economic Policy & Planning from Sussex University (1980) and a Doctor of Philosophy from Maastricht University (1998) under Wiebe Bijker.
Before moving to the Netherlands she worked at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at Sussex University, the Economic and Social Research Council, Centre for Research into Innovation and Management at Brighton University and the department of Innovation Studies at University of East London.