Bali joined the MSU faculty in 2001. She received her Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 2001. Bali's research interests focus on policy processes, state politics, education policy, representation, electoral behavior, and quantitative methods. In the area of state politics and policy her current projects explore states' reactions to recent federal mandates affecting personal identification, and the evolution of statewide student information systems. In the area of electoral behavior she examines the relationships between terrorist activity and government approval. Recently she has taught graduate courses in quantitative methods and policy processes, masters level courses in quantitative methods, and undergraduate courses in education policy.