Victoria Beard is interested in the relationship between community-based planning and poverty in the global south. As a 2021–22 Global Public Voices fellow, she drew attention to unequal access to urban services such as water and sanitation, and urban poverty and inequality in developing countries.

Beard's research explores the intersection of collective action, social movements, transnational processes, and planning. Beard has two ongoing research projects. One examines community-based planning and poverty alleviation in Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia. The other examines transnational community-based planning in Southern California and Oaxaca.

Beard has also worked as a planning practitioner for organizations such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, AusAID, and RAND. Her professional work has focused on three areas. First, she has worked with community-based organizations helping them plan and manage their own sustainable development. Second, she has experience designing, implementing, and evaluating national and local government programs that address poverty. Third, she has expertise in applied social science research and monitoring and evaluation.