Lorien received a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of North Carolina and a B.S. in Economics from Brigham Young University. She conducts research which examines written communication of financial information through corporate filings and disclosures using linguistics-based research methodologies, often with a particular focus on the effects of regulation. Lorien has presented her research at many conferences in her field and has published in the Journal of Accounting and Economics. Her work has been cited in CFO Magazine as well as the Wall Street Journal.