Her teaching and research interests include modern South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), empire and colonialism, comparative cities, urban history, postcolonial politics, and economic growth with a focus on environment and sustainability in the global south. She is currently working on a book manuscript, tentatively titled "Being Urban: Space, Community, and Everyday Life in Colonial Calcutta (1860-1930)." The book goes beyond town plans and maps to explore how kinship ties have configured urban space in South Asia, crafting areas of self-government within colonial town plans.