She was previously Research Fellow in the Religions and Development Research Programme, University of Birmingham. Kirmani completed her PhD in 2007 at University of Manchester. Her primary research interests are related to religion, urban space, gender, and development in South Asia. She has contributed to multiple journals and edited collections, including The Journal of Gender Studies, Contributions to Indian Sociology, and Progress in Development Studies. Her latest book is Questioning the Muslim Woman: Space, Identity and Insecurity in an Urban Locality (Routledge, 2013, forthcoming).