Rista has experience working in government, international organisation, higher education, and private institutions. Her research interests include macroeconomic and industry analysis specializing in international trade and the manufacturing industry. She is also an enthusiast of Islamic economy and halal industry.

Early in her career, Rista was a member of the macroeconomic forecasting and analysis unit. She is familiar with various econometrics methods and softwares. She has been actively involved in economic and business research on various topics. In addition, she served three years as a training manager with responsibility for expanding market, developing services and maintaining relationships with business partners.

Rista has a master’s degree (MSc) in Economics from Durham University. During her studies, she joined the dissertation abroad program at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz sponsored by Erasmus Mundus. Before pursuing her master’s degree, she gained a bachelor of economics from Universitas Indonesia.