Leela's areas of academic focus and expertise include: globalization and transnational migration, media and expressive culture, critical race theory, race, nation, and gender, cultural anthropology, Caribbean studies, and South Asian diaspora studies. At Lesley, she teaches the following courses: Global Issues and Challenges, Cultural Anthropology, Research Methods in Social Sciences, Anthropology of the Caribbean, Globalization and Transnational Cultures, and Anthropology of Media.
She holds a BA from Haverford College and a MA and PhD from the University of Texas, Austin.