Applegate comes to St. John’s University as an assistant professor of languages and literatures. She holds a Ph.D. in French literature from New York University; an M.A. from New York University; and a B.A. from Smith College. Applegate’s research focuses on survivor testimony, fiction, and theatre about genocide and mass violence. She has published in the journal Research in African Literatures and in The Contemporary Francophone African Intellectual and The Body in Francophone Literature. She recently edited an issue of the online translation journal, Words Without Borders. Before coming to St. John's, Applegate taught for four years at St. Mary's College of Maryland.