She has an M.A. in Geography from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, an M.Phil. in Planning and Development from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Her broad research area is rural geography, and she focuses on the intersections of rural development, agricultural economies, and gendered identities. Her book, Villages, Women, and the Success of Cooperative Dairying in India: Making Place for Rural Development, was published by Cambria Press in 2009 and is based on ethnographic fieldwork in two villages in western India. She has also published a number of journal articles, including in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers and The Professional Geographer.