Rachael Griffiths completed her BA in the Study of Religions and History at SOAS and received her MPhil and DPhil in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies/Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford. Her doctoral research focused on the autobiographical writings of Sumpa Khenpo Yeshe Paljor (1704-1788), exploring his public identity against a backdrop of intense political change, and how these shifts impacted the intricate social, intellectual, and political networks in which he operated.

After completing her graduate studies, Rachael held a postdoctoral position in the TibSchol project at the Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia, Austrian Academy of Sciences. She contributed to the conceptual, methodological, and technical development of digital resources, including Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) models and a prosopographical database. Her research also traced intellectual networks and the scope of scholastic writings in the 11th-13th centuries.

She is one of the co-creators of the Oral History of Tibetan Studies project, which collects and preserves interviews with key figures in the establishment of Tibetan studies in the West. She also serves as a board member and editor for Central and South Asia at The Digital Orientalist. This online publication focuses on the development, application, and integration of Digital Humanities in research related to Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

As a proud Welshwoman, Rachael has a deep affinity for the mountains; before her graduate studies she was a ski instructor in Canada. She also enjoys archery and hiking in her free time.