After receiving a Ph.D. in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona, Valerie had a 20-year research career as a high-pressure high-temperature experimental geochemist. During that time, she held positions at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany and the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC. In 2016 she made a significant career change when she joined the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the National Science Foundation as an Investigative Scientist. In 2025, she joined the Research Integrity Office at the University of Illinois Chicago.