Monika is an ecologist and conservation biologist studying birds, their habitats, and how they fare in a world dominated by humans. She works on the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on the forest and urban bird communities. She is interested in understanding the effects of invasive plant species on native communities and mutualistic interactions. She studied the impact of the invasive plant species Lantana camara on the native seed-dispersal mutualism in the Western Ghats and the role of native and exotic seed dispersers in the Alakai forest of Kauai, Hawaii. 
Monica is an Assistant Professor at the Azim Premji University, Bangalore, where she teaches undergraduate students. Her current research projects investigate the impacts of free-ranging domestic cats on the bird community in the urban green spaces of Dehradun. Closer to home, she is studying plant community and dynamics of green space access in city parks of Bengaluru.