She has earned an international reputation for her work in 19th-century English and Irish literature and, in particular, women's writing. She is described by her nominators as a widely admired teacher, editor, collaborator and mentor.

She is “unrivaled as an accomplished scholar” and distinguished by the exceptional quality of her work, which is considered “unusually broad in scope and remarkably learned and deep in historical detail,” her nominators said.

She confirmed her status as a "rising star" with her first book, Representing Feminity: Middle-Class Subjectivity in Victorian and Edwardian Women’s Autobiographies (Oxford UP, 1992). Her second book, Allegories of Union in Irish and English Writing, 1790–1870 (Cambridge UP, 2000), was noted by reviewers as “impressive scholarship” that makes “a significant contribution to recent critical work." Her third book, Family Likeness (Cornell UP 2008), "made her famous in all circles of Victorian studies," according to one of her nominators.

Beyond her writing, Corbett's standing in literary, feminist and interdisciplinary studies is evident in her speaking invitations and professional service. In addition to giving more than 40 conference presentations, she has been invited to lecture at institutions nationally and internationally.

She regularly referees for prestigious journals in English and sits on the advisory board for some of the best journals in her field, including the Victorian Institute Journal and Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies. She served as president of the Interdisciplinary Nineteenth Century Studies Association and has held various elected positions of the Modern Language Association (MLA).

At Miami, her nominators said "through her leadership in advancing key initiatives, she has been an exemplary role model for other women students, faculty and administrators."

Corbett was awarded the American Council of Learned Societies 2014 Fellowship for her current book project Behind the Times: Virginia Woolf in Fin-de-Siècle Context.

She received Miami's 2014 Distinguished Scholar Award for sustained excellence in the fine arts and humanities.