Poulton is a professor in the Department of Mining and Geological Engineering at the University of Arizona and has been head of the department since 2000. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in geological engineering, with an emphasis on mining and exploration, from the University of Arizona. She has also worked for the university as a teaching assistant, adjunct instructor, assistant professor, and associate professor. As a consultant, she has worked for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on a ground-penetrating radar survey of Coolidge Dam and has worked on the American Geological Institut's earth-science curriculum projects EarthWorks and EarthComm: Earth Science in My Community. She is vice president and co-founder of Neural Optimization Applied Hydrology (NOAH) that provides water optimization, prediction, and management technologies for mitigation of supply problems, environmental impacts, water quality, and water security. Poulton has worked on the U.S. House of Representative's subcommittee on energy and mineral resources, testified and wrote white papers to obtain research support for mining and petroleum engineering. She is a member of the board of governors of the Mining Foundation of the Southwest and has served on its editorial board. She has served as vice president of the Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Environmental and Engineering Problems, chair and vice-chair of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and is a director at large of SM's Arizona Conference. She is a current member of SM's Accreditation and Curricular Issues Committee, the Ivan B. Rahn Education Award Committee, and the Council of Education and Accreditation.