Deneen obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Regina in 1992. She began her career at the Saskatchewan Health Departmentís clinical laboratory acquiring experience in the Virology, Immunology and Flow Cytometry departments. After gaining a special interest in flow cytometry, Deneen moved to Boston in 2003 to further her career in that field. Deneen currently manages the Center for Neurologic Diseases' Flow Cytometry Core Facility.

Deneen focuses her research interests on the current and changing flow cytometry applications in order to assist researchers in their experiments. She is also an active member of the Boston High Speed Cell-Sorting Users Group.