In August 2012, Denise started graduate school in the Department of Biology at the University of Iowa as a Ph.D. student in the iBio (Integrated Biology) Graduate Program and soon after joined Douglas Houston's lab to study the role of maternal factors in Xenopus development. 

During Denise's time in graduate school, she optimized molecular techniques to evaluate rapid transport events in early Xenopus embryos. She was also able to obtain a fellowship at the Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank and apply her skills towards the generation of monoclonal antibodies.