Dr Shadi Shahriari is a Lecturer in Physiology and virology at the School of Science, University of Canberra. She completed her Ph.D at the University of Canberra under the supervision of Professor Reena Ghildyal, which she was awarded on September 23, 2021, for her thesis on the "Respiratory Syncytial Virus Matrix Protein Interactions with the Host Actin Cytoskeleton in Viral Assembly and Budding."

Shadi's primary research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of respiratory viruses, particularly Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Her work investigates how viruses interact with the host cell's cytoskeleton—the internal scaffolding that gives a cell its shape. She has found an interaction between the RSV matrix protein and the host cell cytoskeleton, which is crucial for the virus's assembly and budding. This research has the potential to provide a foundation for developing antiviral drugs for RSV infections, which are a major cause of hospitalization in young children. Dr Shahriari has also published research on rhinovirus and its connection to the development of asthma. Her work is conducted within the Biomedical Science Research Group at the University of Canberra's Faculty of Science and Technology.