Professor Byrne received her B.A. from Hunter College in 1996. Her M.Phil. (2001) and Ph.D. (2004) were awarded by the Program in Hispanic and Luso- Brazilian Literatures and Languages of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Byrne is the author of three books: Ficino in Spain (UTP 2015), Law and History in Cervantes' Don Quixote (UTP 2012) and El Corpus Hermeticum y tres poetas españoles (Juan de la Cuesta 2007), as well as numerous articles in refereed journals, invited volumes, and conference proceedings. She is active in, and has served on the boards of various national and international associations in her field. Prior to joining UNLV in 2016, she held appointments at Yale University (2008-2016), SUNY Oneonta (2006-2008), and Fordham University (2004-2006).