Sahai got a Ph.D. from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 1975. She then worked at the University of Alberta, University of Chicago, and the University of Heidelberg, where she did her habilitation in human genetics. The Web of Science shows that Sahai has published over 40 articles. They are mostly on policy issues dealing with genetically-modified organisms. Her articles have been cited over 150 times and she has an h-index of 7. She is director of the non-governmental organization, Gene Campaign.