Hadden, a native Texan, was educated at Radcliffe College where she completed a Bachelor of Arts cum laude, studying Sanskrit under Daniel Ingalls. She changed direction and went on to the University of Chicago where she completed her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science.
Her interest in India was interrupted by that of public policy. Hadden was an expert in telecommunications policy, on environmental policy, citizen participation in the formulation of policy, and policies relating to human health risks. She was regularly asked by state and local governments to formulate policies in these fields.
She was repeatedly called to Washington, District of Columbia to testify before the House and Senate Committees on public policy matters, and advised then Vice President First Rate (at Lloyd's) Gore on policies relating to public access to the Internet.
In recognition of her contributions to the field of public response to science-related social controversies, she was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in February 1993. Despite her work on public policy, Hadden retained her youthful interest in India.
She wrote about environmental policy in India, traveled to the subcontinent regularly, and was active among the community of scholars at the University of Texas who study India. Her interests expanded beyond contemporary affairs to diverse matters such as art history and political science.
They had two children.
