Dr. Baniya is originally from Nepal. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Purdue University in 2017, and her B.A. in Economics and a B.A./M.A, in Mathematics from SUNY-Potsdam in 2012. Through her doctoral work at Purdue University, she is associated with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the Global Trade Analysis Project. Currently, she is co-authoring a research project at the World Bank, investigating the trade effects of the Belt and Road Initiative of China using econometric and GIS analysis. Additionally, she is co-authoring a research project at the Asian Development Bank, investigating the general equilibrium impacts of infrastructure reforms in the CAREC region and China using a combination of CGE and GIS analysis.