Waite is also a Senior Fellow at the NORC at the University of Chicago and Principal Investigator on the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP).

[4] Waite’s work uses empirical data to study the dynamics underlying major social changes that impact the life courses of individuals and families.

Waite's research topics have covered women’s entry into the labor market,[5] patterns of marriage[6] and family formation,[7][8] and, more recently, population aging[9] and health.

[10] A central focus of Waite’s research on aging is the examination of marital quality and sexuality as critical components of health and well-being in later life.

[16] In 2016, she received the Matilda White Riley Award for career achievement from the Section on Aging and the Life Course of the American Sociological Association.