Jessica Farquhar received her BA (2007) from George Mason University. She recently presented a paper based on her MA thesis, The Bald and the Beautiful: Ganikas and the Monastic Community in Early Buddhist Hagiographic Literature and Art, at the 43rd Annual Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast Conference. Her PhD focus at UCLA lies in both Art History and Buddhist studies. Jessica is currently examining regional variations of the Buddha's conception scene and representations of Maya (second century BCE–second century CE) at sites including Bharhut, Sanchi, Amaravati and Gandhara.