Dr. Joniak-Grant is a sociologist and qualitative research consultant in the Raleigh-Durham area of NC. Her research interests include deviance, stigma, drug use, homelessness, social control, interaction, and institutions. Her favored research methods are ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews. She is also trained in conversation analysis and statistics. 

Dr. Joniak-Grant is currently working in conjunction with the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center (Chapel Hill, NC) and the Opioid Data Lab to understand the lived experiences of those who reverse overdoses using naloxone, pathways to polydrug use, and risk and protective factors of polydrug use. She has also been involved in projects examining the behaviors of individuals who inject prescription opioids as well as the implementation and consequences of opioid prescribing limits legislation (NC STOP Act). In the past, she has conducted research with unhoused youth living on the streets, individuals engaged in illicit or deviant activities including drug use and sex work, HIV/AIDS healthcare workers, and drop-in centers serving at-risk and homeless youth.

In addition to her research, Dr. Joniak-Grant has served as a Patient Representative to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 2014, is currently serving a 4-year appointment on the Patient Engagement Advisory Committee in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), and was an inaugural member of the Patient Engagement Collaborative, a joint effort of CTTI and the FDA that worked to increase patient engagement in medical product development and FDA processes.