Das has a G.C.E. from Cambridge (1962), a B.Sc (1965) and an M.Sc. (1967) in mathematics from the University of Calcutta, India, an M.S. in geophysics from Boston College (1972), and an Sc.D.in geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1976). Das held postdoctoral positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was a research scientist at Gulf Oil, and a fellow at Columbia at University. In 1983 she became a Senior Research Scientist at Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, a position she held until 1990. Starting in 1990 she held positions at Oxford University, where she transitioned to Emeritus Professor in 2013. As of 2001, she also holds a position at Exeter College, in Oxford.
