Larive began her career as a professor in the chemistry department at the University of Kansas, and later joined the faculty of the University of California, Riverside, in 2005. Since 2004 she has served as the editor-in-chief of the Analytical Sciences Digital Library.
In February 2017, Larive was appointed interim provost and executive vice chancellor for University of California, Riverside, and the appointment was made permanent in October.
On May 16, 2019, Larive was announced as the new chancellor of University of California, Santa Cruz, succeeding George Blumenthal effective July 1.