Later that year, Hausler was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and moved to India to study and assist with housing reconstruction after the 2001 earthquake near Bhuj, in Gujarat. She spent time in Iran after the 2003 Bam earthquake, and returned to India to evaluate how construction had adapted following the 1993 Latur earthquake and 1999 Chamoli earthquakes. Based on these field observations, Hausler became aware of difficulties with traditional donor-driven reconstruction approaches, which do not take climate, culture, or homeowner preferences into account. She noted that some of the new houses built with international aid following disasters were not resistant to further earthquakes.