Dipika is a PhD researcher in the Resources, Environment and Development Group at the Crawford School of Public Policy. Her research interest traverse along the issues of environment and natural resource management, social injustices, Indigenous resource rights, livelihood, gender and power and governance in India. In her PhD research, she explores different forms of power in polycentric governance systems to understand how outcomes for India's Indigenous or tribal communities' resource rights are shaped.

She is HDR coordinator in ANU South Asia Research Institute (SARI).

Dipika holds Honors and Masters in Geography from University of Delhi, India and Masters by research (M.phil) in Natural Resource Management from Indian Institute of Forest Management. Prior to joining ANU, she was associated with various organisations including International Water Management Institute (New Delhi), Central Himalayan Environment Association (Dehradun, Uttarakhand), and The Energy and Resources Institute (New Delhi), where she carried significant policy work across water, energy, food, and livelihood spheres.