Dr. Swanson received her BS in Mathematics in 1996 from Tulane University followed by her MS (1998) and PhD (1999) in Mathematical Biology from the University of Washington. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in Mathematical Medicine at UCSF, she joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 2000, with appointments in both Neuropathology and Applied Mathematics. In 2015, she joined Mayo Clinic in Arizona as Professor and Vice Chair of the department of Neurological Surgery. She also holds appointments at Arizona State University and the Translational Genomics Institute.

Dr. Swanson's research lab has served to pioneer the burgeoning field of mathematical neuro-oncology generating compelling data to support the practical application of patient-specific bio-mathematical models of glioma to assess, predict and optimize treatment. Her research efforts have been supported through funding by the NIH, numerous foundations, the James D. Murray Endowed Chair at the University of Washington, TGen and the Mayo Clinic.