Dr. Foster is a sociologist whose research and writing spans the sociology of work, rural sociology, political economy and historical sociology. She has drawn on both qualitative and quantitative methods to study economic issues from a sociological perspective: occupational succession in rural family businesses, farm labour, housing desires among rural and urban young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, local economic development, the history of productivity as a statistic and a concept, generational divisions at work, young peoples’ experiences on social assistance, and youth outmigration from rural communities. She teaches the sociology of work, gender and work, social research methods, and rural sociology in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Dalhousie University, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Rural Futures for Atlantic Canada and directs the Rural Futures Research Centre.