Vandana earned a bachelor's degree in astronomy from Caltech and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Washington. She was a postdoc at Caltech in the "Infrared Army" before joining Caltech/IPAC. At IPAC she has gained several years of experience in project management as an IRSA science lead or deputy science lead, including strategic planning and organizational leadership. Her research centers on galaxy formation and evolution, especially on the role of luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies in the formation of stars and black holes, and the dependence of galaxy properties on environment.