Dr. Nirala currently works as a Research Scientist for the University of Montana, Missoula, on pan-Arctic vegetation productivity; terrestrial net CO2 exchange and soil respiration; terrestrial ecosystem analysis using MODIS, AMSR-E, and ground-based observation; mapping of soil moisture and land freeze/thaw; and the prediction of cold lands hydrology.

His research interests emphasize remote sensing in the earth sciences, specifically radiative transfer theory; analysis of remote sensing (airborne, satellite, and ground) data and its application in environmental and atmospheric sciences; cloud classification, detection, and analysis; changes in land use and cover; global warming/change and sea surface temperature; the hydrological cycle; water resources and their management; precipitation microphysics; modelling and data assimilation (ocean, atmosphere, land); and hydrometeorology and hydrological aspects of climate and climate change.