Sharika is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University. Her research explores changing forms of ethnicization, the effects of protracted civil war on ideas of home in the midst of profound displacement and the transformations in and relationships between the political and the familial in the midst of political repression and militarization. Sharika has received several honors, fellowships and grants throughout her scholarly life and is currently serving as elected President of the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies.

Sharika visited THE NEW INSTITUTE in June 2023 and was involved in the program "The Human Condition in the 21st Century".