Professor Dkhar graduated from Lady Keane Girls’ College, NEHU, Shillong. She obtained her postgraduate degree from the Department of Botany, NEHU, Shillong. She obtained Ph. D. degrees from the same Institute under the supervision of Prof. R.R.Mishra, FNASc. Prof. M.S. Dkhar joined the Department as a lecturer in 1988 and as Reader at NEHU in 1993. She became Professor in 2001. She is actively involved in research in the field of Microbial Ecology.

Her main research interest has been focused on soil biodiversity of wood rotting fungi and microbes of forest and agroecosystems, earthworm-microbes interactions, biodegradation and seed pathology. She is a life member of professional societies like Indian Society of Soil Biology and Ecology, International Society for conservation of Natural Resources (ISCON), Indian Phytological Society and Indian Botanical Society.