Dr Sheiliza Carmali graduated with a BSc (Licenciatura) in Applied Chemistry - Organic Chemistry from Universidade Nova de Lisboa in 2008, followed by an MSc in Drug Delivery from the School of Pharmacy, University of London. She completed her PhD in Chemistry at University College London in 2015 under the supervision of Professor Steve Brocchini, in collaboration with PolyTherics Ltd. (now Abzena).

Sheiliza subsequently held a series of international research fellowships that shaped her interdisciplinary expertise in protein engineering, polymer chemistry, and biotherapeutics. She was first awarded a research fellowship with Professor Helena Florindo at Universidade de Lisboa and University College London, working on ligand‑modified nanoparticle vaccines. Sheiliza then joined Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, USA) working within the laboratories of Professor Alan Russell and Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, contributing to pioneering work on polymer–protein conjugation, enzymatic materials, and controlled radical polymerisation for bioconjugation.

In 2018, Sheiliza moved to Aarhus University, Denmark as a Lundbeckfonden Postdoctoral Fellow in the group of Professor Alexander Zelikin, where she investigated artificial receptor systems and supramolecular approaches to modulate CAR‑T cell signalling.

Sheiliza was appointed as a Lecturer at the School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast in June 2020. Her research focuses on engineering biomolecular interfaces, integrating protein engineering, supramolecular assembly, nanocarrier technologies, and biotherapeutic delivery.

She is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Dr Carmali teaches across the BSc Pharmaceutical Sciences, BSc Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, MPharm, and MSc Industrial Pharmaceutics programmes, contributing to modules in pharmaceutical chemistry, medicinal chemistry, biotechnology, and research skills. She adopts an active, student‑centred approach and consistently receives strong student feedback.

She has contributed to the development and enhancement of modules within the School and supports Queen’s transnational education activities through teaching at the China Medical University–Queen’s University Belfast Joint College. She also supervises undergraduate and MSc research projects and is actively involved in student support, recruitment, and admissions.