Previously, she held the Whittlesey Chair of History & Archaeology at the American University of Beirut, and taught at Columbia University, Brown University, and Harvard University -- where she received an award for excellence in teaching. She completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University under the direction of Professor Homi Bhabha, and received her PhD, MA, MFA, and MA from Brown University -- and an additional Masters in Central Asian Studies from Columbia University. She conducts research at the advanced level in 15 different languages.