Her research focuses on practices of religious reading and scriptural interpretation in contemporary Hindu communities of urban north and northwest India, particularly Gujarat and Rajasthan. She is currently working on a book manuscript called Reading the Medieval in the Modern: Scriptural Debate and Sectarian-Fashioning in Gujarat. She has held research, writing, and teaching fellowships with several institutions, including the American Institute of Indian Studies, the American Council of Learned Societies, and Millsaps College. Emilia holds a PhD in Asian Cultures and Languages, with a focus on South Asian religions and literatures, from the University of Texas at Austin (2014). She also holds a MTS from Harvard Divinity School (2008) and a BA in Religion from Smith College (2004).