[2] As of September 2021[update], she is the J. C. Bose Chair Distinguished Professor at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata.

For her post doctoral work, she was at the University of Kansas Medical Centre from 1980 to 1982 and then from 1983 to 1984 at the Population Council, New York City.

She was a member of the editorial board of ‘Scientific Reports’ of Nature Publishing Group, London:‘Spermatogenesis’, Landes Bioscience, Texas and editorial board member of ‘Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology’ of Elsevier, PA, Austin.

Shaha's research programme is geared towards the understanding of cell death pathways and cellular defense processes in unicellular and multicellular organisms that have important bearing on designing of therapies for various diseases.

Kala-azar, a neglected tropical disease remains a huge problem being endemic in certain parts of the country and is caused by the Leishmania parasite.