She earned her Ph.D. in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics at the University of Chicago, and her work is at the forefront of the field. She reflects that “physics is a male-dominated field [and] fewer than one out of five physics majors, whether at the bachelor’s, doctoral or postdoctoral level, are women.” Shah is ready to challenge that disparity; in early 2017, she chaired the Conference of Undergraduate Women in Physics at Wayne State University.