Bailey is a postdoctoral research associate and software engineer working in the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, as part of the international genomeR훘iv project. She is also in the final stages of completing her Doctorate in computational human genetics from the University of Edinburgh, with a thesis on the genetics of the human skeleton.

Bailey has been a computational geneticist since beginning her PhD in 2017. Prior to this, she had a broad educational background consisting of a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Forensic and Investigative Sciences from Texas A&M University, and an Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Forensic Science, for which she studied at Universities in Spain, Portugal, and England. She also completed an internship at a human decomposition facility as part of her forensic science training.

In addition to her research, Bailey is an active member of the Edinburgh Carpentries Organising Committee, and a certified Software Carpentries Instructor.

It is rare that she will be found without a book.