Zahraa Al-Ahmady

Zahraa Al-Ahmady is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutics at the School of Allied Health Professions, Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield. She leads the Al-Ahmady Lab Research Group, focusing on advanced drug delivery systems for neuroimmunology and oncology applications, particularly targeting brain disorders, peripheral immunomodulation, and blood cancer.

• Education: BSc (Hons) in Pharmacy (University of Baghdad, 2004), MSc in Drug Delivery (UCL School of Pharmacy), PhD in Nanomedicine (UCL School of Pharmacy, 2012)

Her research spans three core areas: (1) Developing therapies for brain targeting post-stroke and healthy ageing, (2) Engineering immunomodulatory nanoparticles to address stroke-associated infections, and (3) Designing nanocarriers for precision oncology. Her work has been recognized with patents and publications in high-impact journals like ACS Nano and Theranostics.

Recent publications highlight lipid nanoparticle-based biomarkers and ferroptosis inhibition for neurological conditions. Her grants include Brain Research UK funding for intracerebral haemorrhage and BBSRC support for advanced microscopy facilities.

• Scientific Awards
  • AstraZeneca Prize for Best Overall Performance (MSc, UCL)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Zahraa actively supervises PhD, MSc, and intercalated medical students while contributing to public engagement initiatives like Soapbox Women in Science and media outreach. She serves as a journal editor for Frontiers in Nanotechnology and Frontiers in Stroke and Drug Delivery.