A medical researcher and professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Dr. Kristen Riley primarily investigates neurosurgery topics relating to adult epilepsy surgery, minimally invasive skull base surgery, and pituitary tumor surgery. She is presently a co-investigator on a pair of National Institutes of Health-funded studies with grant rewards totaling more than $1 million. In addition, Dr. Kristen Riley is a member of the UAB Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, UAB Epilepsy Center, and the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB.

Beyond her research and teaching activities, Dr. Kristen Riley maintains appointments at University of Alabama Hospitals and Clinics. She is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, a diplomat of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and an active member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons..

Supporting more than 15 years of neurosurgery experience in a practical and teaching capacity, Dr. Riley holds membership with professional membership groups like the American Epilepsy Society and Southern Neurosurgical Society; she is a secretary and executive committee member with the later. She completed her neurosurgical residency at UAB and obtained her MD from the school in 1998.