Francioni's dissertation was Decomposition of Fuzzy Switching Functions at Florida State University 1981.
Francioni then gained experience working for one year as a visiting scientist at the North Carolina Supercomputing Center.
Later in her career her research focused on computer science education, specialising in visually impaired students.
Francioni has collaborated on 35 scientific publications and served on numerous program committees, including being a department chair for 10 years.
She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Women's and Gender Studies Program at Winona State University and is the Faculty Liaison for the Center for Engaged Teaching and Scholarship.