Ishita is a senior research associate at Pahle India Foundation and has submitted her Ph.D. thesis at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai. Her research lies at the intersection of development economics and political economy. Her thesis examines whether decentralisation policies improve the welfare of historically marginalised communities in low-income, resource-constrained settings, with a focus on how political representation and property rights reforms affect health, livelihoods, and environmental stewardship among the indigenous communities of India. Prior to this, she has worked as an assistant professor at Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, University of Delhi and as a research analyst at RIS and IEG.