Her primary research area is tiny irregular galaxies — their origins, evolution and star-formation properties.
She uses many parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and includes spectroscopy in her approach.
Her thesis was on the star-forming properties of irregular galaxies.
[1] Hunter was a postdoctoral fellow at Kitt Peak National Observatory and the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Hunter ran Lowell’s Native Americans Astronomy Outreach Program for 25 years, sharing astronomy with 4th-8th grade Navajo and Hopi teachers and their classes.