She is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University.

[2] She stayed in this position until the 1997-98 academic year, when she was appointed acting chair of the Biology Department.

[1] In 2003, Cupples accepted a position as a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University of Victoria (UVic).

The next year, she received a $292,432 grant to research how cells repair damage to their DNA.

[4] She stayed in her role there until 2010, when she was appointed Simon Fraser University's (SFU's) Faculty of Science dean.