Studium der Indologie, Tibetologie, Religionswissenschaft und Germanistik an den Universitäten Bonn, Münster und Wien; Promotion in Wien 1980. Forschungsaufenthalte an der Universität von Pune und am Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, Indien von 1980-1989 (als Forschungsstipendiatin des DAAD, der DFG und des Indian Council of Historical Research, Delhi); Postdoctoral Fellow der Japan Society for the Promotion of Science an der Nagoya University (1989-1991) und der Numata-Foundation an der Kyoto University, Japan (1991-1992); Spalding Visiting Fellow am Wolfson College, Oxford (1992); Assistant Professor (1992-1994), Associate Professor (1994-1999) und Professor (seit 1999) an der University of Wisconsin-Madison; Senior Long Term Fellowship, American Institute of Indian Studies (1996); Fellowship for University Teachers, National Endowment for the Humanities (1997–1998); Research Fellowship, American Council of Learned Societies (1998); Vilas Associate Award, UW-Madison (2000-2002); Resident Fellowship, Institute for Research in the Humanities, UW- Madison (2006); Chair of the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia, UW- Madison (2010-2013).