Shyama has a strong interest in rare diseases, and she advocates for relevant reporting to increase awareness about such conditions. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Shyama was part of a team of Clarivate epidemiologist who created a Covid-19 medical dashboard to help vaccine manufacturers harness the large volume of information emerging from various sources. Currently, she works as a Senior Principal Content Editor for The Incidence and Prevalence Database at Clarivate. Her previous research experience includes infectious diseases, vaccine development, and molecular epidemiology at the Tropical Institute in Antwerp, Belgium. Shyama holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, and has conducted research on malaria/schistosomiasis and HPV in several African countries including Ethiopia, Cameroon, Senegal, Rwanda, and Burkina Faso. She has taught Parasitology as a visiting professor at Jimma University in Ethiopia and the National University of Rwanda in Butare. Currently based in Antwerp, Belgium, Shyama speaks English, Hindi, Bangla, Punjabi, and is moderately fluent in Flemish and Spanish. She is past President of the Belgian Society of Parasitology and a member of Inner Wheel, an international women's organization to create friendship, service and understanding. Her hobbies include Indian classical music, metaphysics, environmentalism, and travel.“I would say our power lies in the present. Open the windows of your mind, always be creative. Never stop learning.”