Dr Malik obtained her doctoral degree in Plant Biotechnology from the CSIR - Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, India in 2009. She completed her Masters (Gold Medalist) in Honours Botany at Guru Nanak Dev University, India, in 2001. Her basic area of research is plant secondary metabolites and genetic manipulation in several medicinal plants. After spending several years at research/academic positions in Brazil, the Czech Republic and United Kingdom, in 2015 Dr Malik became a Professor of Biology at the Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Maranhao (UFMA), Brazil. Currently she is an active member of the UFMA’s post-graduate research program. She was awarded a FAPEMA Junior Researcher grant in 2015, and serves as an editorial board member and reviewer for various international scientific journals.