Farzana is a Professor of Economics at the Indian Statistical Institute (Delhi), Visiting Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, and Research Fellow at the IZA (Bonn).

Her research lies at the intersection of development and labor economics, covering three broad themes: gender and social identity; human capital; and governance. She has collaborated with governments, non-profits, and businesses to conduct several field-based projects, using both administrative data and randomized experiments. Her work contributes towards designing more effective transfer programs, understanding the role of information in improving health and learning outcomes, and assessing the impact of identity and networks on performance, productivity and labor market outcomes.

Grants from the IGC, DFID, CAGE, IZA, UNU-WIDER, the Hewlett Foundation, the European Commission, the Planning Commission of India and the Directorate of Education (India), have supported her research. Currently, She head the Digital Platforms and WEE program, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to analyze and suggest measures that empower women on digital labor platforms.

She has taught economics, in various capacities, at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Syracuse University, Delhi School of Economics, ISI, Geneva Graduate Institute, National University of Singapore, and the University of Toronto.

She is a recipient of the National Mahalanobis Memorial Medal, conferred by The Indian Econometrics Society for contributions to quantitative economics.