Dr Kochar is the Director of the India Program at the Stanford Center for International Development(SCID). Prior to joining SCID, Dr Kochar was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Stanford University. Her research focuses on the micro-economics of development, and specifically on issues related to education, health, credit, population, inequality and the effectiveness of government programs. Her research has been published in leading journals, including the American Economic Review and the Journal of Political Economy. Dr Kochar received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago. She also holds a Masters in International Relations from the University of Chicago.