Between 1975 and 1983 Pfaff-Czarnecka studied social anthropology, law, communication studies, European anthropology and art history at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and also completed a doctoral degree there.

[3] Pfaff-Czarnecka has engaged in several academic administration and offices: she was President of the Swiss Society of Social Anthropology (1996-1999); Pro-Vice-Rector of Bielefeld University (2007-2009);[4] member of the Commission 38 of the CNRS (France; 2004-2007); Dean of the Faculty of Sociology at Bielefeld University (2018-19); Co-Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (Bielefeld University; 2011-2019) and senate member of the German Research Foundation (DFG).

[5] Pfaff-Czarnecka conducted field research in the Himalayan region (especially in Nepal)[6][7][8] as well as in the middle European immigration societies.

Among her research topics are the Hindu caste system, democratization processes at the sub and the supra-national level, ethnic relations and the theory of belonging.

[9] She conducts research on the social life of universities, focusing on heterogeneities and inequalities in study processes, as well as on knowledge production and circulation in the Asian region.