Dianne Hansford explores research interests in the fields of geometric modeling and scientific visualization. The focus of her work has been on industrial curve and surface applications related to mathematical definitions of shape. She is a member of the PRISM (Partnership for Research in Spatial Modeling) lab.

With Gerald Farin, Hansford has co-authored three books "The Essentials of CAGD," "Practical Linear Algebra A Geometry Toolbox" and "Mathematical Principles for Scientific Computing and Visualization."

In addition to teaching and research at Arizona State University in the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering, Hansford consults in the CAD/CAM industry and co-founded 3D Compression Technologies.

She was an ARCS Scholar and Fulbright Research Scholar in Germany. Hansford is a member of the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematicians (SIAM), Sigma Xi Research Society, the Fulbright Association, Upsilon Pi Epsilon Computer Science Honor Society.