Her postdoctoral research focused on giant molecular clouds, the birth sites of stars, and the properties and cosmological effects of galactic and intergalactic dust.
[11] Imara, Di Stefano, and their other collaborators found evidence, using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, of a potential planet passing in front of a star that is 28 million light-years away in the M51 galaxy.
[12] Their findings were published to Nature Astronomy in an October 2021 paper entitled "A possible planet candidate in an external galaxy detected through X-ray transit.
[14] To help visualize molecular clouds, Imara has developed a way to use "high-resolution bitmap-based three-dimensional (3D) printing" to create handheld models for teaching and outreach.
[19][20] In 2020, Imara founded Onaketa, an organization that connects students from underserved communities of color with free math and science tutoring.
[21][22] Imara has described the field of astronomy as a uniquely powerful tool for engaging the general public with, and expanding access to, science: "Everyone’s captivated by astronomy, by the stars, what’s out there in the universe...And so I made a conscious choice a long time ago that I wanted to share my work with the community, with Black folks and other people of color, especially.”[21] Imara recently appeared as herself in the "Age of Stars" episode of the 2021 PBS Nova documentary series "Universe Revealed," [23] as well as a short segment in Ancient Skies "Gods and Monsters" (TV Episode 2019).