Wahba had an interest in science from an early age, when she was in junior high she was given a chemistry set.[3] At this time she was also interested in becoming an engineer.[3]
Wahba studied at Cornell University for her undergraduate degree; in 1952, Cornell and Brown University were the only Ivy League universities that admitted women.[3][4] When she was there women were severely restricted in their privileges, for example she was required to live in a dorm and had a curfew.[3] She received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1956 and a master's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1962.[1] She worked in industry for several years before receiving her doctorate from Stanford University in 1966 and settling in Madison in 1967.
She is the author of Spline Models for Observational Data.[5] She retired in August 2018 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[3]
Her life and career are discussed in a 2020 interview.[4]