From 1996 to 2012 Kahla worked for the Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki, and from 2009 as an associate professor at the UH with a focus on Russian cultural history.
From 1996 to 2012 Kahla worked for the Aleksanteri Institute as a consular reporter. From 2009 she has worked as an associate professor at the University of Helsinki, with a focus on Russian cultural history.