She has adjunct research appointments with the University of Missouri-Columbia and Missouri University of Science and Technology. Her research focuses on application of nanotechnology in biological and environmental domains. She has ongoing funded projects on developing nanosensors for detection of biomolecules, application of nanomaterials as pesticides, and integration of nanotechnology in agriculture and environmental science curricula. Dr. Afrasiabi is also involved in drug designing research, with a focus on natural and synthetic compounds with antitumor properties.