In an interview with Nature Research Microbiology, she said that her love for the ocean was sparked at a young age during the weeks she spent each summer exploring the South Carolina coast with her family.

Prior to serving as an assistant professor at Texas A&M, she was a post doc at the Romberg Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University, in Tiburon, CA (1993–1995).

She has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of biogeochemistry and microbial ecology in marine environments, with a number of transformative advancements that led to high-profile publications.

[28] On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform suffered a loss of well control that resulted in a large explosion and fire, killing eleven men.

Two days later, on April 22, 2010, the drilling platform sank, severing the riser pipe at the seabed and initiating an uncontrolled discharge of oil and gas from the broken wellhead.

Joye began studying methane and hydrocarbon dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico in 1994, putting her in a strong position to contribute to the scientific response efforts during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.

[29] Joye was a member of the shore-based scientist team in the first academic expedition in response to the oil spill on board the R/V Pelican (May 5, 2010) that was led by Arne Diercks and Vernon Asper.

[34] After the expedition, Joye testified before Congress in a hearing before the House Energy and Environment Committee to share evidence that the deepwater plumes did, in fact, exist.

[35][36] Shortly thereafter, the finding was confirmed by NOAA,[37][38][39] leading to an effort to quantify the fate of the hydrocarbons hidden deep beneath the water's surface as part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment.

[70][71] The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an enormous environmental perturbation but it was also an opportunity to teach the public about the Gulf Ecosystem and the ocean in general.

[83] In 2015, she began working with BBC Earth and OceanX Media, formerly Alucia Productions, on the deep ocean episode of Blue Planet 2.

Joye enjoys sharing her story with others[84][86] in the hope of inspiring young women to engage in science careers and to motivate the public to learn more about the ocean.

She is wholly committed to ocean advocacy work and feels strongly that scientists have an obligation to share their science and their passion broadly.

In 2005, she was named a research fellow of Smithsonian Institution, Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Program, in Carrie Bow Cay, Belize.

[97] A few weeks later, Joye was an invited speaker at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s National Microbiome Project kickoff event.

Through the Ocean Memory program, Joye is collaborating with artist Rebecca Rutstein on an exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art that includes a November 2018 expedition to the Guaymas Basin of the Sea of Cortez in DSV Alvin.