She graduated from the Institute of English Philology at the University of Lodz in 1985 and received her doctorate from the University of California, San Diego in 1991. Since 1993, she has worked at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she hold a position of Director of Slavic Studies. She is a linguist.
Her research interests primarily revolve around comparative semantics, pragmatics, and syntax, with a special focus on how emotions are expressed and represented in language. Since 2002, she has been actively involved as a volunteer with the University of Washington Polish Studies Endowment Committee, an organisation dedicated to promoting knowledge about Poland and celebrating the achievements of Poles which raises funds to support a chaired professorship in Polish language and culture at the University of Washington. Member of the Polish Council for Science and Universities.