Pyrak-Nolte is a geophysicist and a distinguished professor of physics and astronomy at Purdue University. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. In 2020 Pyrak-Nolte was awarded the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Reginald Fessenden Award. She is the former president of the International Society of Porous Media, former president of the American Rock Mechanics Association and former vice president for North America for the International Society of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering. Her research interests include applied geophysics, experimental and theoretical seismic wave propagation, laboratory rock mechanics, micro-fluidics, particle swarms and fluid flow through Earth materials.