Zainab holds a BEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sheffield, where she graduated in 2023. She worked on a process design project at the University of Sheffield that optimized chemical processes to reduce emissions while producing formaldehyde and dimethyl ether in large quantities. She completed a detailed design of a dimethyl ether reactor and its catalyst (gamma aluminum oxide) while ensuring a high conversion rate.

Zainab joined KAUST in 2023 to pursue a master's degree in advanced chemical engineering, where she joined KAUST's Catalysis Center as a member of the Multiscale Reaction Engineering group under the supervision of Professor Pedro Castano.