[2] In 2009, Estrin was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for the pioneering design and application of heterogeneous wireless sensing systems for environmental monitoring.

Estrin entered the University of California, Berkeley in 1977, majoring in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS).

After graduating from Berkeley with a BS degree in 1980, she moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she received her PhD (1985) in EECS under the supervision of Jerry Saltzer.

[9] Estrin's research has focused on using mobile devices and sensors to collect and analyze data, with applications to health and well-being.

[13] In 2018 she was elected as a McArthur Fellow for "Designing open-source platforms that leverage mobile devices and data to address socio-technological challenges such as personal health management".