Dr. Zalli is the academic director for Pre-Medical Studies course at the University of Cambridge, UK. She earned her PhD at the University of Leicester, UK and then moved to Boston, where she carried out her postdoctoral research training at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Following her postdoctoral training at Harvard, Dr. Zalli focused on teaching, where she directed multiple courses for undergraduate and graduate students in the life sciences. She also acted as the Director of the Advanced Graduate Preclinical and Clinical Research Course and the Director of the Biotech Journal Club at Harvard Medical School.
Inspired by the 44th U.S. president, Barack Obama, at Harvard, Dr. Zalli joined Harvard Professional Government and chaired multiple important events such as Harvard Lectures That Last and the Harvard Leadership Conference.
Dr. Zalli then moved to the University of Oxford, where she was the academic lead for the MSc course in Precision Cancer Medicine.
Aside from teaching, Dr. Zalli is committed to assisting students from ethnic and racial minorities and socioeconomic status. She has led many STEM events in collaboration with faculty from Harvard University, MIT, Yale University, the University of Oxford and scientists from NASA. In 2020, Dr. Zalli co-founded a charity called "Aferdita Ime" in collaboration with otherworld-renowned oncologists and scientists, with the mission of assisting cancer patients through psychosocial support and counselling. Dr. Zalli is also the founder of The Zalli Foundation, a charity, which aims to educate, elevate, and inspire people globally online and offline through the art of storytelling while promoting empathy, kindness and positive mental health.
